Patrick Causey, on Twitter @pcausey3

There was a moment last night where I just stopped and shook my head. It had nothing to do with what was happening on the field, but was instead a reaction to the fact that I was studying film of Carson Wentz in a preseason game against third string competition. But given that this was likely one of the only extended looks we will see from Wentz in the next year (unless this season goes horribly wrong), here I am.

Overall, I thought Wentz’s play was in line with my scouting report that I did pre-draft: some positives, some negatives, and some hope for the future. Let’s break down the big take aways from his Eagles debut.

1. Wentz looks like he belongs.

Yes, it was only a preseason game. Yes, Wentz was playing against second and third string competition. Yes, “insert any other caveat you want to apply.” But Wentz did not look overwhelmed by the moment or by the increase in speed from the FCS:

https://twitter.com/pcausey3/status/763908957018677248

There is a laundry list of quarterbacks that look less poised than Wentz but have significantly more experience: Geno Smith, Matt Leinart, Brady Quinn. While that is an admittedly low bar, it is nonetheless encouraging that Wentz looks like he belonged out there.

Two plays immediately come to mind. In the third quarter, the Bucs showed pressure off the edge with a corner blitz. Wentz quickly diagnosed where the pressure was coming from and hit the hot option in stride:

This looks simple, but many quarterbacks struggle with this, especially rookies, who can be overwhelmed by the moment, the added responsibilities, the more complex defenses, and the increased speed of the game. Wentz was not phased in the least.

The other play that exemplified Wentz’s poise came in the third quarter when Wentz was under enormous pressure almost immediately:

It looks like a botched snap count, as at least three lineman were slow to get off their blocks. Special shout-out to rookie offensive tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who must have fallen asleep on this play:

But, back to Wentz. There are veteran quarterbacks in this league that wouldn’t have handled this immediate pressure as well as Wentz. He wasn’t phased, didn’t get the deer in the headlights look; he kept his cool, used his legs to break containment, kept his eyes down field and delivered a strike for a nice gain.

2. Wentz is incredibly athletic and is especially adept at throwing on the move

When Mike Mayock compared Wentz’s athleticism to Andrew Luck leading up to the draft,  people laughed. But Wentz is proving Mayock right.

Wentz is 6’5, 237 lbs, but moves like a gazelle. He routinely evaded pressure (as the clip above illustrates), minimizing the harm caused by a leaky offensive line.

That video cuts off right before Wentz slid to avoid the hit. According to Les Bowen, Wentz said after the game that was the first time he slid in his life, a welcomed development.

Later in the game, Wentz showed less restraint (while also flashing impressive mobility to beat the blitzer to the edge). The kid simply cannot afford to take these kind of hits on even a semi-regular basis:

Prior to the draft, I noted that Wentz excelled while throwing on the move. This is a unique trait for a young quarterback, as most quarterbacks’ mechanics fall to the wayside, impacting their accuracy. Wentz’s ability to throw on the move was on full display last night:

Wentz is especially impressive when he is stepping up into the pocket. I think part of this is that it forces better mechanics out of Wentz, preventing him from “arming” the ball, a problem I saw a lot in his college tape. Check out this play from his first series of the game, where he delivers an impressive strike to Ertz while stepping up into the pocket

3. Wentz needs to improve his accuracy

It wasn’t all pretty though. Wentz completed only 50% of his passes, thanks in large part to some ill-placed throws.

When Wentz misses,  he often misses high, sailing the ball beyond the reach of his receiver (and, at least to this point, the defenders as well). I counted at least three passes that were not catchable last night:

You can see another example here.

Wentz also needs to improve his precision, as his ball placement was inconsistent at times last night. Here’s one example:

Fourth year wide receiver (#16) T.J. Graham is running a seven-yard curl towards the inside of the field. He has a good 5 yard buffer on his defender, so it should be an easy pitch and catch. But Wentz puts the ball high and to the outside shoulder. Graham arguably could have caught this — and indeed, if it was a first string WR, perhaps it would have been caught (then again, it is the Eagles we are talking about). Wentz could have made Graham’s job considerably easier if he put the ball on his numbers, or at least threw it towards the direction in which Graham was heading– i.e., his inside shoulder.

Cleaning up his mechanics during this redshirt season should help with his repetitive accuracy. But it is something to keep an eye on as we progress through the preseason. You can see a couple more examples here and here.

4. Wentz made rookie mistakes, which are to be expected

Wentz put up underwhelming numbers last night: 12-24 passing for 89 yards, 0 touchdowns and 1 interception. This caused more handwringing than I expected, with some calling his performance “rocky” and others snidely saying he was in “preseason form.”

I try not to fixate on rookies making mistakes in their first year, especially at the quarterback position. The learning curve to the NFL is incredibly steep: systems are more complex, players are moving faster, and the magnifying glass you are placed under can be overwhelming at times.

That is especially true for a player like Wentz, who is making the jump from playing FCS football in North freaking Dakota to playing at the highest level of competition in one of the toughest markets in the world.

So when I saw this terrible decision last night — where Wentz forced a throw to a covered receiver deep in the red zone — I tried to keep things in perspective.

Look, I’m not excusing the throw — it was bad — but remember: Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions to just 26 touchdowns his rookie year. Troy Aikman threw more interceptions than touchdowns in each of his first two seasons. They went on to win a combined five Superbowls during their Hall of Fame careers.

That’s not to suggest Wentz will be nearly as successful as those two (odds are he won’t), but it is to say that we shouldn’t freak out every time the kid throws a pick. If he is still making these mistakes consistently during his second season as a starter, then we should be concerned. Until then, give him time to grow.

Bottom line: I was impressed from the rookie quarterback. He made some good plays, flashed his athleticism, and didn’t look overwhelmed by the moment. Despite his mistakes, I think it was a strong debut. Hopefully we can see more of him in the remaining preseason games.

TYLER ASTON is a contributor at Eagles Rewind. You can follow him on twitter @Astonia67.

The Eagles are in the market for some young backup linebackers. This makes more sense than brining in an over the hill vet on what is effectively a rebuilding team. Najee Goode will be a free agent next year. Joe Walker looked good in the first preseason game but has far from locked up a long term spot. The team gave Myke Tavarres a ton of signing bonus money and he will almost certainly at least make the practice squad, but plays WILL (same position as Goode) and is making a big jump in competition and transitioning positions. Deonte Skinner may make the team but hasn’t exactly been lighting things up during the preseason. Quinten Gause is probably more of a practice squad guy, and bless his heart but I don’t think Don Cherry is going to make it.

Despite all the handwringing about the state of the position, in looking around the league for this post, the birds are probably middle of the pack in terms of overall linebacker depth. The Eagles are most likely in the market for a SAM or MIKE Linebacker. Let’s take a look at some potential options.

LJ Fort: 6’0, 232lbs, 26 years old, STEELERS

Jordan Zumwalt: 6’4, 235lbs, 24 years old, STEELERS

Tyler Matakevich: 6’1, 235lbs, 23 years old, STEELERS

In my opinion the Steelers have the best overall LB depth in the league right now. One or more of these players will be available. Fort played college ball at Northern Iowa but and played a decent chunk for the Browns back in 2012. Has been bouncing around the league since then trying to find a home. Fort has had a very strong showing in Steelers camp and is turning some heads.

Zumwalt was a guy who flashed every time you watched UCLA in 2013. Every game he had a monster hit or bigtime run stuff that made you sit up and pay attention. Considering that UCLA team also had Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks, and Myles Jack, that is no small feat. The downside is his overall game tape was much more mixed. While he would flash a big play you often wondered about his football IQ. He’s yet to be healthy in the NFL, but has the raw talent. Bit of a project but perhaps a fire and brimstone DC like Schwartz could help him.

Matakevich is the local star. He was the driving force behind Temple’s strong defense last year. Extremely productive college player with high football IQ. He’s a bit small and not terribly athletic which is why he was selected in the seventh round and not where his stat line would have you guess. He’s probably never going to be a starter but for a team like the Eagles having a savvy capable backup MIKE backer to provide insurance for Hicks certainly helps.

Marquis Flowers: 6’3, 250lbs, 24 years old, BENGALS

Flowers started his college career at Arizona as a S. Eventually moved to SAM Linebacker. Came into the league at 6’2 231lbs, but has since grown into that frame. Ran a 4.51 at his pro day. Made the Bengals roster in 2014 and would have last year if not an injury in the final preseason game. The Bengals have a good track record of developing linebacking talent. He seems to have done well this preseason and the Bengals like him, however he just seems to be caught up in a numbers game. Flowers has good size and athleticism to be a modern NFL SAM backer and cover linebackers.

Shaq Petteway: 5’11, 230lbs, 22 years old, CHARGERS

Petteway doesn’t really fit a need for the Eagles, he projects as an undersized WILL in the birds scheme. I bring him up however because the Eagles seemed to like him in the predraft process, and worked him out as a fullback. He stands no chance at making the Chargers roster as a 34 OLB as he’s about 3 inches and 25 pounds from being an undersized pass rusher. Petteway would more be a guy that the birds sign to the practice squad and tinker with at fullback and maybe some defense on the side.

John Timu: 6’0, 245lbs, 23 years old, BEARS

Timu was a two time captain at Washington on units that featured Marcus Peters, Kikaha, Danny Shelton, and Shaq Thompson. Timu started 3 games at the end of last season for the Bears but after heavy investment at the position in the offseason may be on the outside looking in. Timu is the kind of player you look for in a backup MIKE, maybe not the flashiest player but everytime you watch his tape you walk away going “that sumbitch can play football”.

Paul Worrilow: 6’0, 230lbs, 26 years old, FALCONS

Worrilow is the most established player on this list. If the Eagles want a more established player to provide insurance for Hicks, this should be the target not a player in his 30s. He has 230 career tackles, 4 sacks, and 2 INTs. Worrilow was a UDFA from Delaware back in 2013 and because the Falcons were so devoid of talent on defense he became a starter almost immediately and has remained in the lineup. He’s stuffed the stat sheet and has been solid but struggles with missed tackles and basically being the front 7’s best player for 3 years. The Falcons finally invested in the position during the offseason, and seem to be trying to transition him to a backup role this season. Worrilow is basically Atlanta’s LB version of what Nate Allen was to the Eagles, a solid if unspectacular starter but much maligned due to surrounding circumstances. He’s a local guy and could probably use a change of scenery. He’s not going to be cut, but a late conditional and a fringe Eagles roster player could be enough to get Atlanta to part with him.

Jared Norris: 6’1, 240lbs, 23 years old, PANTHERS

Brian Blechen: 6’2, 230lbs, 24 years old, PANTHERS

Jeremy Cash: 6’0, 215lbs, 23 years old, PANTHERS

The Panthers are the one team who could challenge the Steelers for best overall LB depth. Each of these three guys are interesting in their own unique ways. All were team captains, all are high football IQ guys, two were college teammates of Eric Rowe. Norris is the thumper. He’s your classic ILB/MIKE, and was my favorite UDFA at the position this year. Norris should never be a full time starter but has enough of the tools that he should be able to overcome his lack of elite athleticism.

Blechen was on and off the practice squad for Carolina last year, as they were converting him from a jumbo safety to an LB. I noticed Blechen while watching Rowe’s college tape. This S/LB tweener kept flashing. 2 hours later I had built a shrine and sworn my allegiance to him. It was weird. Blechen probably should never play on defense but could become a special teams standout. The Eagles have Maragos at DB, and Braman at DL. The Linebacking room needs a hair on fire special teams standout.

Cash was a college star at Duke. He’s just a weird projection to the NFL. He’s a box safety who didn’t run super fast. 10 years ago he would have been a top 40 pick but he went undrafted. The NFL is starting to find ways to get these types of players on the field in nickel sets, but they simply aren’t as desirable as they once were. Cash could eventually become a starter but if the Eagles brought in Cash they would have to design a role for him, perhaps in the 3-3-5 nickel sets they have been tinkering with during training camp.