Philadelphia Eagles: The real quarterback controversy in 2018

There actually is a quarterback controversy in Philadelphia for next season. It just doesn’t involve Carson Wentz.

Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles changed the game a bit this season. When Carson Wentz went down towards the end of the season, Foles had to step up and be the hero. Although Foles struggled tremendously at times, he obviously got the job done. Now that Foles is a Super Bowl MVP, the rest of the NFL is questioning whether there will be a controversy in 2018 or not.

Yes, there will be a quarterback controversy next season. But it just doesn’t involve Carson Wentz. Foles has proven to be a solid quarterback with the correct scheme and weapons around him. Looking at the man’s playoff stat sheet, his historical three-game stretch is far from a fluke. So why doesn’t he compete for a starting spot on the depth chart with Wentz?

The answer to this question is blatantly obvious. The price that the Eagles had to pay to be able to draft Wentz was far from cheap. And when the Eagles decided they were going to draft Wentz that high, they knew that they were going to commit to him long-term. The idea of them putting him aside or dishing him out to another team would be absolutely bogus. We know it, Wentz knows it, and even Foles knows it.

So what is the 2018 quarterback controversy that we speak of you ask? Well, it involves Foles, Nate Sudfeld, and the rest of the NFL.

But, who cares?

Remember just a couple of months ago when the Eagles decided to call up Sudfeld to the 53-man roster because another team tried to poach him? That gave everybody a sign that Foles would most likely be cut to free up some cap space at the end of the 2017 season. It showed that the Eagles really valued Sudfeld and would most likely use him as the long-term backup quarterback in the future.

But now with Foles leading the Eagles to their first-ever Super Bowl victory, cutting him is obviously way out of the question. Could there be a possibility that the Eagles trade Foles, though? Absolutely! But would that be the right choice for the Eagles? Honestly, no.

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With some teams in the market for a veteran quarterback that is capable of winning, there is no doubt they will be reaching out to the Eagles this offseason. But the Eagles cannot just throw Foles away for a low-ball offer. And if nothing really blows the socks off Howie Roseman and company, they should hold onto Foles as long as they can.

With Wentz’s recent injury, there is no guarantee when he will be back. And even when he does return, you never know what could happen. There is a legitimate chance that Wentz could miss some time in the 2018 regular season. So why wouldn’t the Eagles hold on to Foles who they know can win them games? Sudfeld may be decent on the practice field, but his ability to win on gameday is not a sure thing.

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So as long as Foles is under contract in Philadelphia, the Eagles should take advantage of it. He showed his value as a backup quarterback and now the Eagles have other teams looking to find better value in their second-stringer. With the Eagles already being many steps ahead of everybody else in that department, they should hold on to what they got.

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