If you keep up with NFL news, you’ve probably heard trade rumors surrounding Carson Wentz to the Chicago Bears. A couple of years ago, this probably would have sounded like a blockbuster trade. Carson Wentz is a guy who got his team to the Super Bowl before being injured. Granted, Nick Foles filled in and won it for him, but how many quarterbacks have actually brought their team to that level?
Fast-forward to today and somehow Wentz has become one of the least desired quarterbacks in the league. He was benched for a rookie at the end of the season after leading the league in interceptions, turnovers, and sacks taken. He’s the perfect example of a player with extremely high risk and extremely high reward.
It’s not surprising that Chicago is going after Wentz; the Bears have seemingly been in the running for every free agency or trade target at the quarterback position this offseason. But this one feels different. For one, we know for a fact that the Bears have been pursuing Wentz; it’s not just speculation. Every sports article that comes out makes you think that Chicago really wants him as the next quarterback in Chicago.
The problem that I’m seeing with this comes when you take a step back. Sure, Wentz is the best quarterback available right now, but how does he make any sense in Chicago? There’s a simple way to teach you this and it comes with the four Ws.
“Why Wentz Won’t Work” for the Chicago Bears
You don’t have to think very critically to see that Carson Wentz in Chicago is a recipe for disaster. In fact, I’m a little bit surprised that the Bears are so willing to go after a guy who comes from the same team and system as the most recent failed starting quarterback in Nick Foles.
The main issue is that when Wentz has found success in Philadelphia, he has had a great offensive system around him. The same went for his backup, Nick Foles. Both of these guys stepped into a great system and delivered, giving their team great offense and being effective pieces of a puzzle. But when the systems weren’t there, we’ve seen both of these QBs crumble.
You tried Nick Foles, who finished 2020 with a PFF rating of 66.5. Why would you give Wentz, a guy who finished the 2020 season with a lower PFF rating of 65.0, a chance to play in a system that you already know didn’t work for Foles? How does that make any sense at all?
Sure, you might drop a couple of bad contracts and open up some room to sign offensive linemen, but what are you really doing here? There aren’t enough resources to do a complete overhaul and at best, you’ll see minor improvements in the offense. You’re rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
The Chicago Bears are setting everybody in this situation up for failure. It’s a bad situation for Carson Wentz, it’s a bad situation for the Philadelphia Eagles, and it’s a bad situation for the Chicago Bears. There are a lot of moves that Chicago could make in the offseason, but this is the only one that I have full confidence would be a failure.