It seems that many NFL fans need a lesson in quarterback play.
Recently, I revealed my top 35 quarterbacks currently in the NFL. My top five is as follows:
- Patrick Mahomes
- Russell Wilson
- Aaron Rodgers
- Carson Wentz
- Drew Brees
Yeah. I got some blowback for that.
For whatever reason, people are very hesitant to put Wentz in the elite conversation. With a closer look, we can see that he is very much worth the admiration.
Wentz was one of only five quarterbacks in 2019 to finish top 10 in both touchdown passes and passing yards, with the other four being Jameis Winston, Dak Prescott, Russell Wilson, and Patrick Mahomes.
According to FiveThirtyEight, Wentz also led all quarterbacks in QBR while outside of the pocket (94.4).
But in order to appreciate Wentz’s performance in 2019, we have to do even more digging.
Each of those aforementioned quarterbacks has something in common: legit No. 1 receivers.
Winston, Prescott, Wilson, and Mahomes all had at least one receiver finish top 25 in yards.
Wentz, on the other hand, didn’t even have a receiver on his roster eclipse 500 yards receiving.
Tight end Zach Ertz finished north of 900 yards, but from the wide receiver position, Alshon Jeffery led the group with 490 yards.
Injuries plagued the Eagles all season long. Jeffery only played in 10 games and DeSean Jackson’s homecoming lasted all of three games. The Eagles were forced to start practice squad players down the stretch.
This is all on top of the fact that the Eagles’s defense last year ranked in the bottom half of touchdown passes and passing yards allowed while also accounting for the 10th-fewest interceptions in the league. Carson Wentz dragged that team, who had no excuse for being a playoff team, to a division title.
Let’s also not forget the season that Wentz had in 2017. His miraculous 33-touchdown, seven-interception season and league-leading 77.2 QBR had him all but written in as the league’s MVP before suffering a torn ACL in the final month of the regular season.
For his career, Wentz has thrown for 97 touchdowns to just 35 interceptions for a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 2.85, a stat in which he ranks fourth all-time.
Let me ask this: if Carson Wentz stays healthy in 2017 and wins MVP, are we having this debate right now? Would it be a question that he is among the top signal-callers in the game today?
It’s time for everyone to acknowledge how much Wentz has done already in his career and give him the respect he deserves as one of the elite quarterbacks in the game today.
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