Skip to content
Sports

Hayes: Carson Wentz is Howie Roseman's only lifeline

    by Marcus Hayes
    Published 
When a man has only one lifeline he’ll hang on until the bitter end.
Carson Wentz is the only thing keeping general manager Howie Roseman afloat. Roseman knows it, so he’s holding on tight.
Roseman spent 30 minutes Wednesday treading the dangerous waters of a postseason postmortem in which he failed to improve most of the Eagles’ deficiencies. The team still needs two starting receivers, two starting cornerbacks, a No. 1 running back, offensive line depth, linebacker depth, defensive back depth, a decent backup quarterback and a competent press box sheriff. 
But they do have a young Franchise Quarterback, even if he was a product of circumstance.
That’s why Roseman opened his mandated state of the union address with Carson Wentz. That’s why he then referred to Wentz continually. Eight times, the reference to Wentz was completely unsolicited.
Why should fans be optimistic? Carson Wentz.
What’s the best thing that happened in 2016? Carson Wentz.
What’s for dinner? Wentz a l’Orange. 
The problem is, until September, Roseman had no intention of creating a Carson Wentz. If Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater hadn’t shredded his knee in training camp then Wentz wouldn’t have taken a snap in 2016. Today the Eagles would be deciding whether to keep, trade or extend Sam Bradford's contract. 
Now, though, thanks to the instability of the human knee joint, Wentz is a seasoned starter who holds the NFL rookie record for completions in a season. Roseman wants full credit. Little is due. A year ago, Wentz was just another guy the Eagles hoped to see play at the Senior Bowl.
That’s because, a year ago, Roseman wasn’t focused on finding an elite quarterback in the draft. He was focused on signing Bradford to a long-term extension. A year ago, new offensive coordinator Frank Reich was the only person at the NovaCare Complex in love with Wentz.
This, of course, is all according to the principals themselves. Even Pederson saw little more than long-term potential in Wentz’s 6-foot-5, 235-pound frame.
Indeed, Pederson endorsed Bradford from the moment he was hired. He gushed about Bradford  in February while Roseman negotiated Bradford’s 2-year, $35 million extension, and again when Bradford signed. Pederson assured everyone Bradford was his man when Chase Daniel signed his pricey deal as a backup a few days later. Pederson said it was Sam’s team when the Birds traded up twice to get a shot at Wentz. After Wentz was drafted and Bradford walked out of voluntary workouts, Pederson still stood behind Bradford. 
Not until the Vikings came banging on the door, desperate for Bradford to salvage their shot at a deep playoff run, did Wentz starting even become a possibility. Remember, Wentz broke a rib in the preseason opener and missed the other three games. At that point, Wentz was stuck behind Daniel on the depth chart. Daniel deftly played his way off the radar with a lousy preseason by the time Wentz healed. While Wentz healed, he stunningly, brilliantly progressed from FCS lummox to NFL starter. Howie neither foresaw this nor sped its progress.
Yes, Roseman recouped a first-round pick and a fourth-round pick when he traded Bradford, but Roseman was negotiating from two positions of strength. First, the Vikings considered themselves Super Bowl contenders and were willing to give up the world for a polished starter. Second, neither Howie nor anyone else wanted to give the team to Wentz.
Did Roseman sneak off to Minnesota and pull a Tonya Harding on Bridgewater? If not, the evolutionary process that resulted in the flawed design of the human knee deserves more credit for the Bradford trade than Howie Roseman. He had no more to do with trading Bradford than he had to do with opposable thumbs.
What Roseman does deserve credit for is:
Realizing that Bradford did not want to be an Eagle any longer than necessary and signing him to big, short-term money.
Listening to Reich, Pederson and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, who all loved Wentz, then gambling an enormous number of precious picks on a quarterback who never even played against top collegiate talent.
Accepting the likelihood that, if he traded Bradford, the chances of a successful season – a season crucial to Roseman's own future as a GM – would be diminished.
That took guts. It didn’t take keen evaluation.
From an especially jaundiced perspective, Roseman & Co. failed to recognize Wentz’s value. He’d played 23 college games and won two national championships at North Dakota State. If Roseman, et al, knew Wentz would be this good then they never would have extended Bradford, who cost them $11 million against the salary cap this season. (Maybe Frank Reich should be GM.)
After all, the $11 million they used on Bradford could have spent on better receivers or cornerbacks. Those deficiencies remain. So, incredibly, does Roseman … clinging to that lifesaver ring from the S.S. Carson Wentz, trying not to make too much noise.
There are sharks in the water.
    MH
    Marcus Hayes
Join The Conversation
Community Guidelines