Quarterback is most important position on any football team. Get it right and your team has a real chance of making some postseason noise. Get it wrong and it doesn’t matter how talented the rest of the team is, the ceiling will always appear lower. Luckily for the Eagles, the future is extremely bright with Carson Wentz at the helm. But what about the spots behind the pride of North Dakota State? It’s time for another positional outlook.
Carson Wentz
Wentz has been the subject of cruel criticism for quite some time. From injury prone labels, to character concerns, to clutch genes, Wentz has heard it all. But 2019 was the season that he made a real statement and silenced the doubters.
Considering the offense was devoid of starting talent across the board by seasons end, Wentz passed for 4,039 yards, 27 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He also played all 16 games the first time since his rookie season. Wentz started the year a little rough with the flaws in his mechanics revealing themselves, but when the team needed him most, he shined brightest.
He led the team to four straight wins, multiple 4th quarter comebacks, and a divisional title. The focus for this upcoming season has to be in the acquisition of deep threats for Wentz. Wentz, like Mahomes, covets the deep ball and speed. The Eagles offense is built for it but hasn’t been able to find the right pieces. Hopefully, 2020 holds nothing but speed for Wentz and his receivers.
Josh McCown
McCown showed his true worth to the franchise with everything he did on and off the field. The 40-year-old QB was pulled out of retirement by the Eagles to replace the injured Nate Sudfeld in preseason, but little did we know just how much of an impact the 17-year veteran would have.
He helped in the prepping of the young receivers that the Eagles called up from the practice squad, and mentored to the franchise QB. Few were as excited for Eagles players who shined in big moments as McCown, who would run onto the field to gas up his teammates.
Josh was forced to play the first playoff game of his career against the Seahawks when Wentz was ruled out due to a concussion. McCown came in and gave it his all while tearing his hamstring. In an emotional effort, McCown showed just how valuable he was to the Eagles this season. He should absolutely be back next season, but the question is in what position? Backup QB? Positional coach?
McCown reportedly explored the idea, but isn’t quite done playing yet. Whether the Eagles opt to try and retain him as a QB2 remains to be seen, but they were eager to keep him around the facility, and with good reason. It wouldn’t be surprising to see McCown back in some capacity, but the ageless wonder hasn’t lost the fire to sling it just yet.
Nate Sudfeld
Not much was heard of from the Eagles developmental QB in 2019. Sudfeld has been a backup for this team for quite some time now. He’s seen it all but the issue at hand is that he hasn’t played much. He broke his left wrist in a preseason game and was cast into the shadows while it was McCown who took the QB2 spot.
As a pending free agent, Sudfeld may be looking for a new opportunity this offseason…but the Eagles could be in the same boat. Sudfeld has been around the team for three years now and still wasn’t convincing enough to take back the QB2 role from McCown when healthy. When McCown was dropped into the game against Atlanta, he was allowed to throw the ball, unlike Sudfeld vs Washington not too long ago when it was handoff and checkdown city. This is a very interesting spot to watch moving forward…but we could well see a new developmental QB enter the fold this offseason.
Kyle Lauletta
Kyle Lauletta will look to step into the boots Sudfeld may leave behind. The young QB spent the season on the practice squad with the hope that he may be a part of the Eagles future plans at backup. He was picked up after the Giants waived him over the summer. For his career, Lauletta has played in two games while attempting 5 passes and completing none. He has one interception to his name and no touchdowns. The Eagles want to get back to drafting a quarterback every year, but Lauletta may have a ceiling high enough to convince them that they can skip 2020 and give him a shot.
Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
