While the Eagles have had a pretty solid training camp thus, other teams haven’t faired as well, whether in early performance showings or the injury department.
Though none of the developments are major, they do potentially suggest a sign of further troubles to come, which could end up helping the Birds in a variety of ways. Let’s first check in with an NFC East rival.
Carson Wentz Continues With Accuracy Struggle
With the Commanders repping a new name and look, they’re hoping to put their constant controversies and disappointing seasons behind them. Surely new quarterback and old friend Carson Wentz can help them enter a new era, right?
#Commanders QB Carson Wentz has had "an assortment pack of misfires" during camp, per @BenStandig
"Quarterbacks throwing to receivers against air (with no defense) is the football equivalent of a layup line," "Yet, Wentz routinely has bricked passes in various directions." pic.twitter.com/TiSXIivUuX
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 9, 2022
Oh boy. To make this worse, Wentz is not dealing with any pass rush pressure or defensive back presence during attempts.
While head coach Ron Rivera and the team aren’t “overly concerned” about the inconsistencies, they’re certainly not nothing. While throwing 27 touchdowns last season, the sixth-year veteran showed substantial flaws:
- He possessed an accuracy rating of 7.2, 29th worst among quarterbacks
- His pressured competition percentage sat at 37.2%, an equally terrible 28th worst, which was also the same ranking that his true completion rating came in (67.4%).
It’s not just throwing, either. Wentz continues to display struggles during camp that have popped up consistently throughout his career, such as a lack of awareness and hesitancy to throw the ball away or take the sack.
Also noteworthy is that Wentz and star receiver Terry McLaurin’s relationship is still a “work in progress.” The Eagles play Washington in Week 3, so a potential lack of connection between the two early on in the season would play a considerable role in the matchup.
This doesn’t necessarily mean Wentz will bomb. But at this point, it doesn’t seem like a legendary career revitalization is around the corner, either. Wentz has seemingly reached his peak and now fits into that 15-20th best QB tier.
Jameis Winston Tweaks Ankle At Practice
On Monday, Saints quarterback Jameis Winston left 7-on-7 drills after “tweaking his foot,” according to head coach Dennis Allen. The team later clarified it was Winston’s ankle, not his foot.
Though Winston is still being evaluated, multiple outlets reported the injury isn’t believed to be anything major.
However, the 28-year-old will miss several practices and New Orleans’ first preseason game because of it.
Winston is coming off a 2021 season that saw him limited to just seven games due to an ACL tear, which he’s continuing to recover from. Since Philadelphia owns NO’s 2023 first-round pick — and plays them in Week 17 at the Linc — this is definitely a situation to monitor.
The Saints’ next man up would be Andy Dalton, who had a 76.9 quarterback rating and 3.8% interception percentage last season. Suffice to say, Dalton receiving any playing time would be a boon to the Birds’ draft aspirations.
