Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles coaches are having to remind Carson Wentz to stay out of harm's way

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:11 p.m. ET

Cameron DaSilva

Carson Wentz is a physically imposing quarterback. At 6-foot-5, 237 pounds, Wentz has the size and strength to run over most second- and third-level defenders that step in front of him. That doesn’t mean he should be doing so.

The Eagles traded a boatload of picks to acquire Wentz in the draft, and they would prefer not to lose him to an injury caused by a lack of awareness. Wentz has taken 13 hits in the pocket this season, and that doesn’t include shots he’s taken when scrambling for additional yardage.

By all accounts, that’s far too many for a rookie quarterback – or any QB – to be taking. And the coaching staff has made it known they’re not pleased.

Wentz has looked undeniably impressive so far, leading the Eagles to a 2-0 record with no turnovers. He’s the first rookie to do that since the merger, and thanks to him, the Eagles are borderline Super Bowl contenders.

He’s learning from his carelessness when it comes to taking hits, it’s just taking him a bit of time to get used to sliding and avoiding tacklers.

Wentz isn’t your typical dual-threat quarterback, but he is more athletic than most players at his position. Like Andrew Luck, though, he needs to stay out of harm’s way. It landed Luck on the shelf for most of last season, and if that were to happen to Wentz, the Eagles would be significantly worse.