Jason Kelce, Eagles strongly defend Carson Wentz after damning report

A report Monday by Phillyvoice.com quoting anonymous Philadelphia Eagles players and other sources within the organization calling quarterback Carson Wentz “selfish” and “uncompromising” has teammates rushing to his defense via text and social media.

According to the report by Joe Santoliquito, more than a half-dozen players and other sources paint a picture of the starting quarterback as the root of the problem with the offense, which suddenly functioned at a much higher level after Wentz was sidelined with a stress fracture and Nick Foles took over, leading the team to four straight wins before suffering a 20-14 playoff defeat at New Orleans.

The report has members of the team suggesting Wentz is egotistical and often fails to take accountability. Hence, he is not as universally loved as Foles.

“Carson Wentz’s biggest enemy is Carson Wentz,” one source told the Phillyvoice. “He’s had his ass kissed his whole life, and sometimes acts like he’s won 10 Super Bowls, when he hasn’t played in, let alone won, a playoff game yet. Everyone around him wants good things for him. He did more thinking on the field than he did playing (in 2018). You don’t have to be a brain surgeon or a football expert to see how differently this team plays and reacts with one guy as opposed to the other.”

Not surprisingly, many of Wentz’s teammates came to his defense, including offensive tackle Lane Johnson, tight end Zach Ertz, quarterback Nate Sudfeld and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox.

But none were more eloquent than center Jason Kelce.

“Carson arrived here three seasons ago and has been nothing but an incredible teammate,” Kelce told The Morning Call via text message. “From the moment he started taking reps as a rookie, you knew there was something different about him, and our entire offense got better largely because of the competitor and player he is. His work ethic and attention to detail every day made an impact on others, and he’s without a doubt a tremendous leader through his words and actions.

“I have not read Joe’s article and don’t want to get into a habit of addressing unnamed opinions, but I know this: Carson through the first three years has been nothing but a great teammate trying to get better each and every day, trying to make others better each and every day, trying to make this team better each and every day. And when the dust has settled, his legacy will be one of an incredible competitor and teammate who laid it on the line each and every day for the guy next to him, and a man who did everything he could to help this team succeed.

“I’ll go to war any day of the week and twice on Sunday with guys like Carson Wentz.”

The other players back Wentz via Twitter.

Cox said Wentz is “a great teammate” and that everyone is “behind him 100 percent.”

Sudfeld tweeted that Wentz has “never put anything above the Philadelphia Eagles.

Ertz said the Eagles locker room “stands behind (Wentz) all the way” and calls him a “great person, great teammate and great leader.”

Based on these responses, the report doesn’t seem likely to cause a major disruption — or anything approaching the turmoil that followed the team’s Super Bowl loss in 2005 when Terrell Owens ’ relationship with Donovan McNabb went bad.

That said, the issue isn’t going away anytime soon — especially so long as Foles is still on the team.