After insisting all offseason that rookie quarterback Carson Wentz would spend his entire rookie year as a third-stringer, the Eagles have now announced that he will start Week One.
Eagles coach Doug Pederson confirmed this morning that he is making Wentz the starter for the Eagles’ opener against the Browns on Sunday.
That radical departure from previous plans comes two days after the surprising trade of Sam Bradford to the Vikings. Chase Daniel, who was No. 2 on the depth chart throughout the offseason, will remain the No. 2 quarterback behind Wentz.
It’s a surprising decision from the Eagles, but maybe it shouldn’t be too surprising: You don’t trade up to No. 2 in the draft to select a quarterback unless you’re very confident he’s your long-term starter. And if you’re very confident a quarterback is your long-term starter, why not get him experience right away. If anything, the more surprising quarterback situation this year is in Los Angeles, where No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff is the third-stringer.
And so Browns-Eagles on Sunday will be the battle of the former No. 2 overall picks, with Wentz starting for Philadelphia and Robert Griffin III for Cleveland.
