Philadelphia Eagles debate table: Would you bench Carson Wentz?

Well, if you’re a Philadelphia Eagles fan, you had to know this day would come.

Just in case you’ve been living under a stone, one of the most-talked-about debates that has surrounded the Philadelphia Eagles recently has exploded. Is Carson Wentz the man to lead this team into the future?

This has, seemingly, gone on since the ‘Birds’ won the Super Bowl and ’11’ got off to a slow start in 2018. There sat Nick Foles, the only quarterback living or dead that has ever led the Eagles to a Super Bowl win.

Each time Wentz struggled, we were reminded that Philly’s lone Super Bowl MVP in franchise history sat on the bench. Then, ’11’ got hurt again, and after we learned that he had literally played with a broken back, Foles stepped in again and led the ‘Birds’ within a few throws of a second straight NFC Championship Game appearance. The calls for Wentz’s job only grew louder.

In 2019, Philly made a decision. In an attempt to quiet some of that, they allowed Foles to leave. The reason? The brass didn’t want ’11’ to look over his shoulder. The Eagles struggled early in 2020, and much of the blame fell on Wentz, whether he deserved it or not. That’s normal. The signal-caller gets too much credit when things go right and too much blame when things don’t. Philly finished strong, but Jadeveon Clowney went ‘Hulk Smash’ on the back on Carson Wentz’s helmet and the postseason run was over before it could even get started.

2020 was supposed to be the year that we saw the guy we watched in 2017. He’s got all of the weapons. There’s depth at the skill positions. Unfortunately, we’ve seen the worst start to any Carson Wentz season in his five-year career. Now, the calls are for Jalen Hurts, so here’s the question. Throw on your imaginary head-coaching cap. Would you bench Carson Wentz now?

Think about the typical day for Carson Wentz if you’re a Philadelphia Eagles fan.

Think about what it’s like to be Carson Wentz. Teammates, including two of your top three wide receivers in 2019, criticize you both publicly and anonymously. He’s been called a bad teammate, a statement that he’s actually said had some credence. He’s seen a shrine built to Foles in the locker room. He walks by a statue of Foles constantly. Oh, and then there’s this. Half of the fan base would ship him off in an instant if they had Howie Roseman’s job.

In the NFL, there’s a question that’s often asked, and here it is. Who gives you the best chance to win? Right now, Carson Wentz gives Philly a better chance at winning games than Nate Sudfeld or Jalen Hurts. Now, that may not be true about the latter two years from now, but it’s true right now.

Then again, if Wentz puts on another performance in Week 3 like we’ve been seeing since the end of the second half in Week 1, he may need to sit down, even if it’s only for a half to clear his head. Former Eagles head coach Andy Reid benched Donovan McNabb versus the Baltimore Ravens in 2008. Remember that? Then again, Kevin Kolb threw an interception to Ed Reed that the legend took almost 99 yards in the other direction so maybe that’s a bad example.