We’re a little over two weeks from the sounds of clanging pads filling the air once again. Training Camp is on the horizon for the Philadelphia Eagles and it promises to be just as intense as last year’s with positional battles up and down the roster. Over the next two weeks, we’ll be breaking down each position in-depth, giving you the ultimate Training Camp guide to the Philadelphia Eagles. There will be video versions available too!
The players
Carson Wentz
It’s only right that we kick things off with the face of the franchise and the man who signed a four-year deal worth $128M. Of course, the logistics of the deal mean Wentz is signed through 2024 and is currently the highest-paid QB in the league in terms of guaranteed money. The move was simply a ‘must’ for Howie Roseman this offseason. Although there were plenty of question marks surrounding the durability of Wentz, the ceiling moving forward was just too high to ignore. And if he balled out as many expect him too, Howie would be forced to cough up money the Eagles may not have at their disposal.
Now with a full offseason in front of him, Wentz has to shine. He can gel with offensive coordinator Mike Groh as he was unable to do last year, watching from the sideline as Nick Foles remained QB1 throughout the entire process, with the offense slowly molding around him. But that didn’t stop Wentz from stealing the spotlight upon his return.
One year removed from what would’ve been an almost certain MVP award had it not been for a torn ACL in week 14, Wentz re-joined the offense in week 3 one year later and went on to pass for over 3,000 yards, 21 touchdowns and a completion percentage of 69%. In just 11 games, he finished in the top 10 for QB rating, ahead of Jared Goff, Andrew Luck, Dak Prescott, and Ben Roethlisberger.
Wentz also has the whole ‘PhillyVoice article that lashed into his character with help from anonymous sources within the locker room’ to overcome. Lane Johnson spoke of a different mindset for his franchise quarterback this offseason, and in fairness, Wentz met the criticisms very honestly during the offseason and looks to have turned the leaf.
There are no more question marks now, just the weight of expectation. Wentz IS the highest paid QB in the NFL and with such a strong supporting cast and a clean bill of health, this has to be very much a ‘coming of age’ season for Wentz.
As far as Training Camp goes, expect a strong connection with DeSean Jackson to headline the show and Wentz to leave the media purring day-in and day-out. OTA’s set the bar for Wentz, showing the world how fluidly he can move without the knee brace, but now is the time for that bar to raise.
There is no veteran QB around anymore for Wentz to lean on, both on the field and away from it. This naturally means that Wentz is the leader in the room now. The oldest in the room. The man who the younger quarterbacks look up to, try to learn from, and shadow his habits. Wentz is now officially, undisputedly ‘the guy’, and again, that comes with responsibility. After the deformation of his character in the offseason, who Wentz is as a leader within the QB room will be arguably just as important as the leader he is on the field.
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