Carson Wentz is a great quarterback. He also has compiled a worrisome collection of injuries in less than three years in football.
The two concepts aren’t mutually exclusive, even if some Eagles fans view the pointing out of Wentz’s physical propensities as personal affronts. The reality is that Wentz’s aggressive playing style has resulted in multiple injuries, and the news that he’ll miss Sunday’s game against the Rams due to a back injury becomes arguably the reddest of the injury-related red flags.
Torn ACLs can fully heal. Back problems never go away for good. When Tony Romo was dealing with back issues late in his career, Troy Aikman pointed out that his own career didn’t end prematurely due to concussions but due to back problems.
With Wentz still only 25, the sudden emergence of back injuries should cause plenty of concern for Eagles fans. Beyond likely derailing a last-gasp effort to get to the playoffs, Eagles fans will now have to worry continuously about the back problem flaring up without warning, potentially derailing future seasons as well.
That’s not to say Wentz isn’t the long-term answer. He clearly is. But it will always be important for the Eagles to have a quality backup to Wentz, because they’ll have to constantly be sensitive to the possibility that Wentz will suddenly be unavailable to play for a week or longer.