Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz has shown he can run.
But Eagles coach Doug Pederson doesn’t want him to, at least not yet.
Pederson said his intent was to avoid calling designed runs for his rookie quarterback, particularly early in the season.
“Without giving away the game plan? No, I’m not,” Pederson said, via Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Now, this week for us, it’s our fourth game of the season. As a staff, we’ve got to be extremely smart on how we handle that aspect of the game.
“Probably the deeper as you go into your regular season, if you are in a position to make the postseason, you might increase that a little bit. One of the things that I think defenses sometimes forget — I’m not saying they forget it completely — is the quarterback and the ability to run.”
Pederson knows well from his days with the Chiefs that it can be an effective complement to an offense, with designed runs for Alex Smith leading to a career-high 498 rushing yards. Wentz has the ability to get to the edge, but he also has a tendency to not know when to get down yet, so they don’t want to break him.
But he’s being a good rookie about it, replying “it is what it is,” when asked if he’d like to run more.
While he has the ability, he also has a coach who is thinking about his long-term progression, which extends beyond this season.