Carson Wentz could reportedly 'force the issue' of QB competition with Sam Bradford
The rookie quarterback is already making waves and it could be a fun summer in Philadelphia
By
Will Brinson
•
2 min read
The Eagles quarterback situation is far from settled, even with the return of Sam Bradford from his bizarre trade request and holdout earlier this offseason.
Philly is getting its first look at rookie Carson Wentz during offseason training activities and, according to ESPN's Sal Paolantonio, the North Dakota State product could already be starting to "force the issue" of a quarterback competition between he and Bradford.
"It sounds like, just getting the early reviews on the rookie quarterback, that Carson Wentz could force the issue of a quarterback competition being opened up by Doug Pederson," Paolantonio said Tuesday on SportsCenter.
Pederson didn't speak to the media and no one got to see Wentz work out, but the Eagles coach did text Paolantonio with a review of Wentz' performance in the early going.
"I thought he did an outstanding job at the terminology of the offense, meaning he had no huddle issues spitting out the plays," Pederson wrote. "Very athletic in person on [the run-pass option plays]. Strong arm, no issues with any throw, sees the field well. Smart kid, knows the protection."
The plan -- at least as it was relayed to the world -- was to sit Wentz to begin 2016 and let him learn behind Bradford and high-priced backup Chase Daniel. Depending on Bradford's willingness to be a good teammate and/or ability to stay healthy, one of those guys would serve as the bridge for Wentz to the future.
This is the path the Andy Reid Eagles took with Donovan McNabb using Pederson as the bridge and it's just how everyone believed this would play out.
Wentz said Friday during a media appearance he doesn't think "there will be a lot of tension" between the quarterbacks.
But if this is an open competition you can throw that idea out the window. Remember, Bradford's agent Tom Condon said earlier in May the folks in Bradford's camp believe he'll get sandbagged at some point.
"There is no real competition. If you've given up the draft choices [to trade up] and he's the second pick in the draft, he's playing," Condon said. "That's all there is to it."
So, yeah. Bradford, despite being repeatedly named the public starter by Eagles brass, was angry about Wentz being drafted and stormed off for a little while.
Then he came back and now we're already getting rumors about Wentz potentially stealing the starting quarterback job. It's always sunny in Philadelphia.
