Former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson experienced two major quarterback controversies during his time in Philadelphia. But one had far more “tension” than the other.
Pederson, the Super Bowl-winning coach, navigated a pair of controversies — Carson Wentz vs. Nick Foles and Wentz vs. Jalen Hurts — in his five seasons with the franchise.
Pederson was asked if he could “feel the tension” during those controversies on a recent episode of Barstool Sports podcast “Pardon My Take.”
“I never felt it with Carson and Nick because Nick is as humble as they come,” Pederson said. “You know Nick Foles, right? Salt of the earth. He’ll do whatever you ask him to do.”
Despite Foles’ legendary performance in Super Bowl LII, Wentz was considered the franchise QB. The Eagles spent the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft on Wentz, who was playing at an MVP level before suffering a season-ending injury at the tail-end of the regular season.
So it wasn’t a surprise that Wentz reclaimed the starting job in 2018 when he was healthy. Wentz started again in 2019 after Foles signed a free agent deal with the Jaguars.
But the 2020 season, which turned out to be Pederson’s last with the franchise, produced yet another QB controversy. Only this one was more heated.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks Jalen Hurts (2) and Carson Wentz warm up before an NFL game against the New Orleans Saints on Dec 13, 2020, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.AP Photo/Rich Schultz
The Eagles drafted Hurts in the second round of the 2020 draft, a move that raised eyebrows at the time. Wentz began the season as QB1 but was benched after a 3-9-1 start in favor of Hurts.
There was reported locker room turmoil, which Pederson didn’t address in the interview. But he did acknowledge the difficulty of dealing with the Wentz-Hurts situation.
“When you have Carson and Jalen, now you have two alphas in the room. They both want to play, and they both want to start,” Pederson said. “So you could definitely, when things were going sideways for us as an offense a little bit, you could kind of feel that tension a little bit between those two. Because I think one felt like he could play better. And the other one wanted to continue to play and be the starter and lead the football team.”
Clearly, the switch from Wentz to Hurts worked out.
Nick Sirianni and his staff took over after Pederson was fired less than three years after winning the Super Bowl. Wentz was traded to the Colts in March 2021 while Hurts was given the keys to the offense. Hurts has reached two Super Bowls in the last three seasons, beat the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX and was named the game’s MVP.
Now, there’s ironically a chance we see Hurts vs. Wentz again this season.
Wentz is currently starting for the Vikings after stepping in for the injured J.J. McCarthy. Wentz has gone 1-1 in two starts, completing 44 of 66 passes for 523 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Wentz is slated to start again on Sunday vs. the Browns.
If McCarthy is still recovering from an ankle injury, perhaps we’ll see Wentz vs. Hurts play out again when the Eagles face the Vikings on Oct. 19 at U.S. Bank Stadium.
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