NFC East News: Carson Wentz struggles to find footing in his new home

The Carson Wentz era in Philly ended two years ago, but now that he’s back in the division as the Washington Commanders signal caller, Eagles fans once again have a reason to keep tabs on their former quarterback.

Throughout training camp, reports out of Washington have indicated that Wentz is struggling to find his footing in his new home. On Monday, the former Eagle tossed three interceptions throughout the day, two of which were on back-to-back plays.

In case you’re wondering how things are going at Washington Commanders camp, Carson Wentz just got picked off on consecutive plays by Kendall Fuller and Kamren Curl. Minutes later Taylor Heinecke also threw an interception.
— Stephen Whyno 🌴 (@SWhyno) August 1, 2022

Reports also stated that Washington fans in attendance started booing him after this series of plays.

The struggles didn’t stop there, though. During a red zone period, Wentz completely whiffed on his read (sound familiar?). With Terry McLaurin matched up against linebacker Jamin Davis, the gunslinger quickly tried to force the ball to tight end Cole Turner and it fell incomplete.

Wentz’s new No. 1 wideout wasn’t too happy about it.

In the red zone, Terry McLaurin had Jamin Davis on him and Carson Wentz immediately went to Cole Turner for the incompletion. As soon as the ball came out, McLaurin yelled “I had a linebacker bro!” and Jamin laughed.
— Matthew Paras (@Matthew_Paras) August 1, 2022

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Following the first five days of camp in Washington, The Athletic’s Ben Standig had this to say on the quarterback’s camp performance:

“What’s been clear with Wentz through five practices is the variance when he throws quickly versus holding the ball. The 6-foot-5 passer makes good choices and throws when delivering the ball almost immediately upon taking the snap or identifying the ideal target from the jump. Trouble lurks when Wentz is forced to scan the defense or bypasses the layups in the flat.

Inaccuracy remains Wentz’s primary flaw. He threw at least three interceptions on Monday, including two on consecutive plays. During a 9-on-9 play, Fuller snagged a Wentz throw that traveled inside his desired target. On the next pass, the ball sailed over 6-foot-6 tight end Cole Turner and into the arms of safety Kamren Curl.”

The same flaws that have plagued him throughout his career appear to be rearing their ugly head in Washington as well. Inaccurate passes, unexplainable decision-making, and slow processing have been the bane of his existence for years now.

Though Wentz was able to bounce back throughout the week, he came crashing back down to Earth during Friday’s practice session. The signal-caller “noticeably struggled,” according to The Washington Post’s Sam Fortier. He missed a handful of easy throws during the 7-on-7 period and continued to hold onto the ball too long during the 11-on-11 period.

Defensive end Montez Sweat even mocked his new quarterback in one instance, trailing Wentz while yelling “get rid of it!”

You don’t hear this too often: Montez Sweat was chasing a scrambling Carson Wentz from behind and was yelling “Get rid of it! Get rid of it!” Wentz ran out of bounds instead.
— Matthew Paras (@Matthew_Paras) August 5, 2022

Yikes.

Of course, this is only the first full week of training camp and there’s still plenty of time for Wentz to get properly acclimated to his new home. Similar to how Jalen Hurts has struggled a bit during Eagles camp, there’s no reason to draw any grand conclusions on how the player will perform this season after a few practices.

Nevertheless, seeing No. 11 struggle in Washington will probably make Eagles fans feel a little better about themselves. It won’t be long before Washington fans take their booing from the practice field to FedEx Field on Sundays.