Why the Carolina Panthers shouldn’t risk it all for Carson Wentz

Why Carson Wentz isn’t worth the price

There was no doubting Carson Wentz’s talent, at least prior to this season. He came into the NFL with a big reputation and although it’s been a rocky road for the quarterback during his professional career, the Philadelphia Eagles had high hopes this could be the year he finally stakes his claim as one of the best in the business.

To say things didn’t go according to plan would be something of an understatement. Wentz was under prolonged pressure thanks to a porous offensive line and his constant mistakes eventually saw the player benched in favor of rookie Jalen Hurts.

Wentz eventually finished the season with a 3-8-1 record from 12 games as a starter. He completed 57.4 percent of his passes for 2,620 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions. The former North Dakota State star was sacked an astonishing 50 times, was pressured on 151 occasions, and finished with a modest 65.0 grade from Pro Football Focus as a result of his efforts.

He could get his career going in the right direction.

But the price is simply too much for a player whose confidence may be past the point of no return.

The Carolina Panthers cannot afford for their next quarterback decision to go wrong. They let Cam Newton go in favor of Teddy Bridgewater, which didn’t bring about the change in fortunes they were hoping for. So giving up so much for Wentz in the hope he can finally start living up to his potential would be a franchise-altering move either way.

And for two first-round picks, it’s simply not an option.

Or at least it shouldn’t be.