Philadelphia Eagles Name Jalen Hurts Starting Quarterback Against New Orleans Saints
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has made up his mind on who will start at quarterback against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. Rookie Jalen Hurts will get the nod.
In 332 days, everything changed.
In the summer of 2019, the Eagles were so high on Carson Wentz that they gave him a mega-deal with $100 million in guaranteed money.
In April of this year, they drafted Hurts in the second round. Now, the rookie is the starting QB.
Pederson said Hurts could help reignite an offense that has been scuttled most of the season.
"I have come to a decision and I am going to go with Jalen Hurts this week against New Orleans," Pederson said in the interview. "We're not where we want to be as an offense. I looked at the whole thing and decided that for this week to look for that spark again to try to get the team over the hump, to try to get everybody playing better."
Pederson said the decision to start Hurts was his, and his alone. He wouldn't get into whether Hurts would be the starter for the remainder of the season.
Pederson indicated the Wentz is disappointed and frustrated about his benching.
"He's been a professional through it all. He supports his teammates and that's what you want to see from him, the leader of the team. I know sometimes the quarterback gets a lot of the blame like the head coach does. It's the good with the bad. It's not about Carson Wentz. It's not about one person. We know we have issues on offense and it has been a struggle for us all season. That's where the frustration lies a little bit, but he's been a pro and would expect nothing less," Pederson said.
Pederson benched Wentz in the third quarter of Philadelphia's 30-16 loss to the Packers after completing 6 of 15 passes for 79 yards, no turnovers and four sacks.
Wentz has statistically been one of the worst quarterbacks in the league this season. He has thrown 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
Hurts, the rookie second-round pick, tossed a 32-yard touchdown pass to Greg Ward and finished 5 of 12 for 109 yards, one interception and three sacks. He also ran for 29 yards.
The Birds are currently 3-8-1 and host the 10-2 Saints on Sunday.
Wentz is under contract for several more years but Hall-of-Fame quarterback Brett Favre says it's time for a change of scenery.
"I think for Carson, I think he's an extremely talented guy. It may be a change of venue may serve him well, and look what, [Titans quarterback Ryan] Tannehill comes to mind. Guy was basically all but forgotten in Miami and turns up in Tennessee and kind of reestablishes his credibility," Favre said during an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio.
"So, I'm not saying that will happen with Carson, but it's kind of what I envision happening just to change venue and kind of a fresh, new start."
CBS3's Don Bell contributed to this report.
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