Carson Wentz: ‘I Felt Pretty Good’ In First OTA

Carson Wentz. (Jeff Fusco)

Doug Pederson mentioned how Carson Wentz has “a long way to go” learning the Eagles’ offense, which is a sentiment the quarterback reiterated, but the head coach seemed pretty happy with his second overall pick after the first day of OTAs.

“Very smart, intelligent guy,” Pederson said. “We had no huddle issues with him, meaning he’s just spitting the plays out. As a quarterback, this offense can be a little wordy there, did a nice job with that. He sees the field extremely well. Big, tall guy. Good arm. Athletic. Some of the (run-pass option) plays during camp this past weekend, you saw some of the explosiveness.

“He’s a leader, too. You could see it a little bit today. He’s clapping, he’s cheering, he’s rallying the guys. If a guy makes a mistake, he’s like, ‘Hey, let’s get back. Lets get it again.’ That’s the type of guy Carson is.”

Malcolm Jenkins, who labeled Sam Bradford’s day as “up and down,” offered his take on Wentz: “He’s a young quarterback, so he’s going to do young quarterback things for a while.”

For his part, Wentz said he’s happy with the pace he’s learning at, and while the biggest mental challenge has been learning the new terminology, Pederson’s offense is “very similar” to what he ran at North Dakota State.

“I felt pretty good. Nothing was perfect, it never is. I’m still learning, still got to get a feel for the receivers, tight ends, routes and everything,” Wentz said. “There’s a lot left to go, but so far, I feel pretty comfortable with it. I feel like I’ve handled it pretty well and I’m excited to keep this thing rolling.”

Wentz noted how “there’s been no tension” between he and Bradford, although he hasn’t spoken with Bradford much. He added that there is a “really good atmosphere” among the quarterbacks, while emphasizing the role Chase Daniel will play in his development.

“Chase will be huge. He’s been involved in this offense; he knows it inside and out,” Wentz said. “I’m going to learn a lot from him. I’m going to stay close with him and try and learn and soak up as much as I can from him.”