There's no doubt about it — Carson Wentz is playing atrocious football right now. But if we're being completely fair, he hasn't really had the help he deserves either.
In fact, since the start of the 2019 season, you'd be hard pressed to find a team with a group of less productive wide receivers than the Philadelphia Eagles.
And if you go back further, Howie Roseman hasn't really made a good decision at the wide receiver position since Roseman was re-hired as team's general manager in 2016.
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Let's take a look in chronological order.
2017 offseason: Alshon Jeffery
Jeffery is a complex one because his first contract was probably the best wide receiving move Roseman has made, signing Jeffery as a free-agent to a one-year, $14 million deal in 2017. And he helped the Eagles win a Super Bowl.
If we remember correctly, Jeffery was coming off two seasons in a row where did not play 16 games, including a four-game suspension for using performance enhancing drugs at the end of the 2016 season. So Jeffery needed to sign a prove it deal and the Eagles needed a big play receiver, so it made sense for both sides.
Alshon, during the 2017 regular season, was decent — not great. He caught a modest 57 balls for 789 yards and nine touchdowns. Jeffery was certainly the Eagles' most productive receiver and he was the go-to red zone target, but anyone watching the games could see he wasn't the same explosive receiver that played for the Bears and the stats were backing that up.
But, for some reason, Roseman decided to give Jeffery a contract extension right in the middle of his first season for four years and $52 million. While Jeffery was incredible during the 2017 postseason run en route to a Super Bowl victory (12rec / 219yds / 3TDs), possibly masking that mistake made by Roseman, he has constantly dealt with injuries over the last two seasons and has just three 100-yard receiving games as an Eagle.
2017 NFL Draft: Mack Hollins, Shelton Gibson
I'm not here to be post-draft-look-back-and-see-who-we-could-have-had guy, but I have to mention Roseman's 2017 fourth and fifth-round picks in Mack Hollins and Shelton Gibson, the only receivers the team drafted that year. Hollins is now on the Dolphins and Gibson is on the practice squad for the Washington Football Team. To be fair, it's not like there were some hidden gems taken after these two guys, but still.
2019 offseason: DeSean Jackson
In March of 2019, Roseman acquired Jackson from the Bucs for next to nothing (late round compensatory pick). Fine. But then Roseman turned around and gave Jackson a new three-year, $28 million contract with $15 million guaranteed.
At the time, Jackson was 32-years-old coming off six straight seasons where he did not play all 16 games. In 2017 and 2018 for the Bucs, Jackson missed nine total games and caught just 50 and 41 balls for 668 and 774 yards, respectively. This isn't to say Jackson is a bad player or acquiring an explosive deep threat wasn't a good thing, but Jackson was clearly declining at the time and time was not in his favor. Now, the Eagles are relying on Jackson, who has played in just six out of 20 games since re-joining Philadelphia.
Oh, and he's undergoing tests for an injured hamstring this week.
2019 NFL Draft: J.J. Arcega-Whiteside
This one stings. JJAW, the Eagles' 57th overall pick in 2019, has 10 catches for 169 yards and one touchdown in 19 regular season games with the Eagles.
Again, I don't like being hindsight NFL Draft guy, but some of the receivers selected after Arcega-Whiteside is maddening.
Ah, what the heck, let's reel some off: Parris Campbell, Andy Isabella, D.K. Metcalf (!!!), Diontae Johnson, Terry McLaurin, Miles Boykin, and Hunter Renfrow.
Campbell, Metcalf, Johnson, and McLaurin look like real impact players. The Eagles desperately needed a young WR to be productive, but JJAW may be the one of the biggest busts of that entire draft.
2020 NFL Draft: Jalen Reagor
OK, so I guess I am that guy second-guessing draft picks, but that's also sort of the point of the article. And it's not like I'm nit-picking every Roseman draft pick, it's just he's missed at the WR position so egregiously it's hard to fathom.
Reagor is injured and very well could be a good draft pick. But, it's worth noting, Justin Jefferson, Brandon Aiyuk, Tee Higgins, Laviska Shenault, KJ Hamler, Chase Claypool, and Gabriel Davis are already off to productive rookie seasons.
Reagor could return from injury and be the best of the bunch, of course, but as we stand right now the 0-2-1 Eagles will likely march out Greg Ward, John Hightower, and Deontay Burnett at WR this Sunday against the 49ers and that's not OK.