Wentz, Our Lord and Savior?

He has risen, Wentz has risen indeed? Carson Wentz made his first start in 288 days against the Indianapolis Colts. The best takeaway from the Colts matchup is that Wentz was ready to play and appears to be fully recovered from his torn ACL injury. Some fans were concerned that the wet field and rain could cause him to re-injure to his knee. It was nice seeing Wentz being sacked five times, so we know he can take contact without crumbling to the ground.  It was marvelous watching him roll out of the pocket and dive (baseball slide) for a first down. It was inspiring watching him scrambling to evade a sack and hitting the new dynamic tightend duo (GoedErtz). 

Wentz was not the near perfect passer that he seemed to be before getting injured. There was rust that was being shaken off. Wentz needs to focus on ball security with being the reason for two turnovers. The Eagles could have easily lost the past game against after late interception from a bad throw by Wentz. It was the Eagles defensive line that saved them. Wentz needs to improve in the redzone. 

There was a clear desperate need that the Eagles need offensive weapons. With time the Eagles will have a dominating offense, patience is a virtue. Between developing young players and waiting for players to come back from injury, the Eagles will still be rusty next week against the Titans. 

The offense’s best trait is that they are able to spread the ball around. Almost every game at least 7 different players have made completions. A threat that the Eagles need to develop is their first draft pick in the past draft, Dallas Goedert. The new Philadelphia tightend was able to have a breakout game with having 7 receptions for 73 yards and his first touchdown on Wentz’s first drive back. Both Goedert and Ertz had more than 70 yards. 

Alshon Jeffrey, Darren Sproles, and Jay Ajayi should be back healthy next week. Wentz came back without having any major setbacks, so you can expect the injured veterans to not have any issues as well. 

While some teams lost to the Bills and Browns, the Eagles won an ugly and stressful game, but they won and that’s all that matters.

Player Spotlight – Sidney Jones – Jonseing to Start

On Sidney Jones’ Pro Day he practically suffered a season ending torn Achilles injury before he was even drafted. He had potential to be a top 10 pick and the Philadelphia Eagles drafted him in the middle of the second round. Jones is a solid press corner that has the speed to keep up with almost any receiver. After a lengthy recovery and some week 17 playing time, Jones is competing for a starting corner back position. 

With Patrick Robinson now on the Saints, the corner slot position is up for the taking. Both Jones and Avonte Maddox are the two corners competing for the position. Maddox doesn’t have anywhere near as much talent as Jones. The job is essentially Jones’ to lose. Jones will have to play well to keep it because Maddox is decent at the nickel corner position. 

Ronald Darby is in his contract year, so he will be making big plays hoping to get the big pay check. It is unlikely that the Eagles will have the money to resign Darby in order to give Wentz the contract he deserves. If Jones doesn’t start on the outside this year, he will definitely next year. 

The competition is a great problem to have. Injuries aren’t a matter of if they will happen, but when they will happen. The Eagles will be prepared for whatever happens during the season, because players can fill in for one another. With the way the league works, Jones will likely replace Jalen Mills after Mills gets injured and keep the job after playing lights out. No matter who plays, the Eagles secondary could live up to the stardom and success of the 2003 squad that had Dawkins, Troy Vincent, and Lito Sheppard. 

Running…Running… Running Backs Everywhere…

The Eagles are ready to take on the season; the Super Bowl Champions have the potential to repeat. However, there is one main question on many fans minds. Why are there so many running backs? The Eagles backfield has made an interesting turn since they lost LeGarrette Blount. Let’s take a closer look at this young and stacked Eagles team.

The Eagles current running back depth chart looks as follow:

Jay Ajayi, Darren Sproles, Corey Clement, Wendell Smallwood, Donnel Pumphrey, Josh Adams, and Matt Jones

To be honest we may see 3 kept in the running back role and 1 more kept in the special teams capacity. When you look at this roster Jay Ajayi is the clear star, he will be the one who is the starting RB day one. However, there are several questions that arise with the rest of the running back competition. When we delve deeper we can see some strong potential with these running backs. But, the main issue has been that no one has stood out so far.

Darren Sproles is the veteran; he is the true front-runner for the 2^nd position in the RB race. However, how much confidence should be placed in Sproles. The man is 35 years old, and has been injury prone the last few years. Yet, over and over again he has proven he can be productive. Now the question arises do the Eagles use him as their piece or do they use him as potential trade bait. Eagles fans are excited about the creative plays Doug Pederson was not able to utilize last year because of Sproles being injured.

Corey Clement is a shoe in for the RB position, the guy proved himself last year to be a key asset. We may actually see Clement get a good number of carries and receptions this season. This is because Jay Ajayi does not have the full confidence of the Eagles staff and the skillset of an every down back. Clement could easily play himself into a starting role.

Wendell Smallwood has had his ups and downs in an Eagles jersey. He has proven himself to be a strong Special Teams candidate, however he hasn’t played up to par in the RB position. The man has unique set skills that could help balance the offense. However, I would not be surprised if Smallwood gets moved prior to the start of the season. If not he will only be a Special Teams player. He would be far fetched to make the team.

Now Donnel Pumphrey is someone I find to be extremely interesting. The 2^nd year player has shown his unbelievable college ability can transfer to the NFL. However, his main issue is his size. Pumphrey is much like Darren Sproles, he is a tiny RB with a lot of skill. The man is the leading rusher in College Football history. Which proves if given the opportunity he could definitely add a unique perspective on the field. Pumphrey needs to prove himself in the final two games of the preseason to show his value. The Eagles will not want to cut their own drafted player so easily. They may try to stash onto the practice squad.

The last two Running Backs we are going to discuss are Matt Jones and Josh Adams. Matt Jones was a favorite to win the 4^th spot coming into Preseason. Jones has had his ups and downs as a starter in the past. The man is a powerful asset in the backfield, however he has had a lot of hiccups since his start. Jones had to prove himself this Preseason, and he has not done that. Josh Adams on the other hand is an interesting case. He may be starting the season on the IR, however he has the skillset to be a backup RB for a team. He was a very successful RB for Notre Dame. Both of these players are outliers right now to make the team. However, don’t be surprised if Matt Jones ends up as a back up somewhere like New York.

The Eagles have a lot of discussion on their hands in the world of Running Backs. This should be an interesting conversation going forward. I believe the final RB’s will be Jay Ajayi, Darren Sproles, Corey Clement, and Donnel Pumphrey. This season should be very interesting to watch going forward.