If you expected to get some definitive answers about the Eagles’ quarterback situation from Nick Sirianni’s introductory press conference on Friday afternoon … I have some bad news.
That didn’t happen.
When asked directly if Carson Wentz would return to the Eagles in 2021, Sirianni said, “I can’t answer that. Again, evaluating everything.”
When asked if there’s a timeline for when he’d like to name a starter, Sirianni said, “Haven’t really thought about that yet, naming a starter. That hasn’t even crossed my mind. Just trying to evaluate the players on our team and get our staff together.”
Yeah, it’s going to be a long offseason.
During his professional career, as Sirianni dreamed of becoming a head coach, he probably envisioned his initial press conference going much differently. It would have been a day to celebrate his path to the highest coaching position in the football world at the age of 39. A day to perhaps talk about his vision for the future, his coaching staff and about how he wowed Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie enough to get the gig.
Instead, Sirianni was in an empty auditorium, standing at a lectern as reporters in virtual Zoom boxes peppered him with questions about a messy quarterback dilemma that he’s inherited.
Of course, that just comes with the territory. For an Eagles organization at a crossroads, the decision at the quarterback position is the most pressing. On one hand, they have invested heavily in Wentz over the last five years in draft capital and salary and he has shown he can play at an extremely high level. On the other hand, Wentz showed a rapid decline in 2020 and appears to have a strained relationship with the organization. Adding to the mess is the fact that the Eagles drafted Jalen Hurts in the second round last year and Hurts played well in 2020 but not well enough to hand him the reins.
So where do the Eagles go from here?
One path would be to keep Wentz and Hurts and attempt an open competition in training camp. On Friday, when asked about that possibility, Sirianni said, “I’m not ready to say that either way yet.”
“We have two quarterbacks in Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts who are top-notch, who are top-notch quarterbacks,” he said. “And a lot of teams don’t have any. Just really excited to work with both of them.”
But you know the old saying: If you have two quarterbacks, you have none.
What we do know is that Sirianni has been in contact with both quarterbacks in the eight days since taking the head coaching job. Sirianni said he had a “good” conversation with Wentz, who also spoke with offensive coordinator Shane Steichen. Sirianni declined to divulge any specifics of the conversations between himself and his new players.
But after speaking with Wentz, does Sirianni think the relationship between the quarterback and the organization is reconcilable?
“I can’t speak on that,” the head coach said. “I’ve talked to Carson, I’ve been reaching out to our players. It’s obviously been a whirlwind so far as far as just the amount of things to do a week into this job. … Just excited to work with him as we move here forward.”
Yeah, it’s going to be a long offseason.
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