Philadelphia Eagles: Should they trade up for Carson Wentz?
By Jeremy Klump
Should the Philadelphia Eagles trade up for former North Dakota State quarterback, Carson Wentz?
If you look at the Philadelphia Eagles’ moves this offseason at the quarterback position, you’d see that they re-signed quarterback Sam Bradford and went out to sign former Kansas City Chiefs signal-caller Chase Daniel.
They now have two quarterbacks on their roster they like, but could they trade up in the 2016 NFL Draft to acquire one that they love? Lets look into that idea. There is no debate that at this point in their careers, Bradford and Daniel have not proven to be franchise quarterbacks.
Bradford, who was drafted number one overall in the 2010 NFL Draft by the St. Louis (now Los Angeles) Rams. The outlook for Bradford was that he was going to be a star in the NFL, but he never reached the potential many believed he had coming out of Oklahoma.
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Daniel, who has only thrown one career touchdown pass, has never shown he can be a legitimate starter in the NFL, even if new Eagles head coach Doug Pederson believes so.
So, that leaves the future of the Eagles in the hands of two average signal callers, unless the Eagles trade up for the former North Dakota State quarterback, Carson Wentz.
The Eagles currently sit with the eight overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft after they traded free-agent bust/cornerback Byron Maxwell, linebacker Kiko Alonso and their first-round pick (13th) to the Dolphins for their first-round selection.
According to an article from NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein, he was told the following by an NFC executive:
"“Don’t be surprised if a team like the Eagles makes a really strong move up the board to get (Carson) Wentz. I don’t think he’s worth it, but I think they do. Everyone thinks you have to move ahead of Cleveland, but (Browns Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta) will want to get as many picks as possible out of this draft. It wouldn’t surprise me if a team moved directly to Cleveland’s spot for Wentz.”"
This claim is certainly worth noting as we get closer to draft day because it is something that could happen, but should it happen?
If the Eagles want to get back to their winning ways, they should look into making the move to go get Wentz. As noted before, Bradford and Daniel aren’t anything special and they aren’t going to magically play at an elite level.
Adding Wentz to their roster would give the Eagles the opportunity to find their first franchise quarterback since they drafted Donavan McNabb with the second overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft.
Like McNabb, Wentz would fall into a situation where he wouldn’t be pressed to start Week 1.
McNabb ironically sat behind the new headman in Philly, Pederson, on the depth chart and didn’t start his first game until Week 10. Other than a Week 15 game that he sat out with an injury, McNabb started the rest of the season and would only win two games that year out of his six starts.
They allowed McNabb to progress at a pace that was both beneficial to McNabb and the team around him.
The Eagles could do the same exact thing with Wentz.
They would be able to start Bradford early in 2016, allowing Wentz to keep getting better, and then also allow Wentz to learn behind Daniel. Remember, Daniel is familiar with Pederson’s offense and would be a great back-up option for Wentz down the road.
Wentz has potential to be a star in the NFL. He possesses exactly what you would want in your franchise quarterback. He is a leader, a winner and he can play the game of football at an elite level.
Yes, Wentz played at North Dakota State and his level of competition is in question, but the level of competition doesn’t impact his ability to throw with accuracy, anticipation and strength. He stands at 6’5″ and his ability to run allows him to draw Cam Newton comparisons.
Wentz is the guy that could change football in Philadelphia and allow them to get one step closer to finally winning their first Super Bowl.
People may argue that you would have to give up too much to move up, however, Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice broke down the last 10 teams that traded up for a quarterback in the last 10 years.
What could a deal look like between the Eagles and Cleveland Browns?
The Browns own the second pick in the draft, which according to Drafttek.com, is worth 2,600 draft points. The pick the Eagles acquired from the Dolphins is worth 1,400 draft points, so clearly both of those picks would be in play.
That would mean the Eagles would need to make up 1,200 draft points to at least entice the Browns, but they also could add in a player that would make the deal even sweeter.
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If the Eagles would win the Super Bowl next season, which is crazy to say at this point in time, their pick would be worth 590 points. Since we know that isn’t going to happen, the Eagles are more than likely to finish in the middle of the pack. They could throw in their 2017 first round pick, one of their later picks in 2016 and a dark horse to be traded, underachieving 2015 first round pick, Nelson Agholor.
Agholor was ranked as the worst receiver in 2015 by Pro Football Focus, but the Browns lost Travis Benjamin in free agency. It could be a great move for the Browns to move back and pick up more picks while also getting a player who would start for them at wide receiver. The Eagles would get rid of Chip Kelly’s 2015 first-round pick. They also recently signed Rueben Randle, so Agholor might not even start for them in 2016.
The Eagles may need to give a little more, but if they have the opportunity to get their franchise quarterback by trading up in the draft, and they believe that Wentz is that guy, does the price truly matter?
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There is no debate that the Eagles need a franchise quarterback, so if the Browns are willing to make a trade that allows the Eagles to draft Wentz, should the Eagles do it? Absolutely.