PHILADELPHIA – New Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni has said he “can’t answer” whether defender Carson Wentz will be on the team in 2021 because he is in the process of “evaluating everyone.”
“What we need to do is evaluate the whole list,” Sirianni said at an introductory press conference on Friday. “We have two defenders in Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts, who are top defenders. Many teams have none. So they are very excited to work with both of them.”
Sirianni added that he is not ready to say if there will be an open competition for this defender out of season and did not set a schedule for when he has to choose his holder.
Wentz’s relationship with the organization became strained during a 2020 season in which he led the league in interceptions (15) and sacks (50) and was in favor of Hurts for the last four games. He planned to ask for a deal this season because of a fractured relationship with coach Doug Pederson, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. Pederson was fired on Jan. 11 after he and owner Jeffrey Lurie failed to align with a vision for the team going forward.
Both Sirianni and offensive coordinator Shane Steichen have been in talks with Wentz for the past week. Sirianni said he could not talk about any problems between Wentz and the team, but that he had a “good conversation” with Wentz.
Sirianni also spoke with Hurts, the choice of the team in the second round of 2020, which gave the offensive a spark when it was introduced in line before it cooled down a bit.
“The same conversation with him is that I am very excited to work with him,” Sirianni said. “I studied him last year, he had an amazing college band. He played significant snapshots this year in which he played well.”
Still in the process of hiring assistant coaches and adjusting to his new role, Sirianni said he and his staff have not yet delved into the game film, including the defenders.
“Every position will be evaluated and every position will be open,” he said, “and we can’t wait to start looking at the box and see what our players can do.”