Doug Pederson on Benching Eagles’ QB Carson Wentz: “You Don’t Go There”

Carson Wentz with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017
Carson Wentz with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017. Photo by Jevone Moore/Cal Sport Media/CSM/REX/Shutterstock

Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Carson Wentz is off to a struggling start of the season, but it looks like this won’t jeopardize his job. Eagles’ head coach Doug Pederson told the media on Monday that he has no intentions to bench Wentz and stays committed to him as the team’s starter.

Throughout the first three games of the 2020 season, Wentz completed just 59.8 percent of his passes while throwing only three touchdowns and appalling six interceptions. For comparison, the 27-year-old quarterback did not throw more than seven interceptions in each of his past three seasons.

Fueled by Wentz’s turnovers and inefficiency, the Eagles stumbled to a disappointing 0-2-1 start of the season. But this still isn’t enough for Pederson to send Wentz to the bench. 

“No, you don’t go there,” said Pederson. “That’s a knee jerk reaction. That’s a reaction to the aura that’s out there. That’s not what we believe internally. We’re going to continue to get better. Carson’s our quarterback.”

While the Eagles have 2020’s second-round QB Jalen Hurts waiting behind Carson Wentz, it isn’t surprising that Pederson doesn’t want to make the switch. Philly signed Wentz to a four-year, $128 million contract extension in 2019 and are committed to him financially for the next four years, at least.

So, they need to give him all support they can and hope Wentz can overcome this rough patch. If he can’t, it’s safe to say that Philly is in the world of trouble.