Written by Lorenzo Reyes at USA Today.com
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said Monday that rookie quarterback Carson Wentz will start the team’s season opener against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
“Everybody feels like this kid is ready to go,” Pederson said Monday in a press conference from the team’s facility. “We drafted him to take on the reins. It’s something now that we’re prepared to do. We’re looking forward to Cleveland and one day at a time with him. At the same time, we’ve got to be smart in how we handle it, but we fully expect him to perform like he’s capable of performing in what we have seen throughout (organized team activities) and training camp.”
Added Wentz: “I’m ready to go out there and play within myself and play within this system and lead these guys. The pressure from the outside and everything, it’s just the game of football.”
This is the first time Pederson and Wentz addressed the media since the team traded Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday for a first-round pick in the 2017 NFL draft and an additional selection in 2018.
All throughout training camp, Pederson and the Eagles had said Bradford would be the team’s starter and that Wentz would be the third-string passer, behind backup Chase Daniel. After the trade, Daniel will remain in that role.
But how exactly did Wentz go from third to first?
“Well, the trade happened,” Pederson said. “We were fortunate to get some draft picks back that we gave up in the trade for Carson and it was right for this football team. It’s something we believe in and this is why we drafted him.”
The Eagles traded with the Browns in April to get the rights for the No. 2 overall selection and the ability to draft Wentz. But it was costly. The Eagles gave up the No. 8 overall pick, as well as third- and fourth-round selections in 2016, a 2017 first-rounder, and a 2018 second-round pick.
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