The Eagles haven't been good for two years.
That is a harsh reality owner Jeffrey Lurie needs to accept, something that should be a little easier following the team's latest embarrassing loss, a 37-19 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams.
In 2018, they were 6-7.
In 2019, they were 5-7.
Now, in 2020, they are 0-2.
Yes, they were able to get into the playoffs the last two seasons. That matters. But what should matter more is that most Sundays, Lurie's Eagles have not been anywhere close to whatever the team hoped the "new normal" would look like.
Just how bad has it gotten?
In their last 29 games together — since the start of the 2018 season — the Eagles are 14-15 with Carson Wentz, Doug Pederson and Howie Roseman running the show. Ten of those losses have come against opponents they were favored to beat, and four of them came when they were favored by at least five points.
During that same stretch, of the Eagles' 14 wins, seven have come against the New York Giants and Washington, two of the worst teams in the league over the last two seasons. Take away the wins against those teams, and the Eagles are 7-15 against everyone else with Wentz, Pederson and Roseman running the show over the last two seasons.
That isn't good. At best it just below average. At worst it is terrible.
And for an owner that is considered one of the best in the league, it should also be embarrassing.
Now, to turn this team around, Lurie needs to figure out why the trio of Wentz, Pederson and Roseman aren't working — and what needs to change to get his team back on track.
Figuring out a solution won't be easy.
The problem over the first two weeks, if Lurie is being honest, has been Wentz. Wentz was the worst player on the field Sunday for the Eagles, and he was pretty close to the worst against Washington as well. His decision making has been bad, his accuracy has been worse, and his turnovers have been costly.
Lurie's franchise quarterback, the one he invested $66 million in fully guaranteed money to, is regressing. That is clear to see.
Moving on from Wentz, even if Lurie wanted to, won't be easy. Trading Wentz after this season would leave $33 million in dead money on the books. With a dramatically cut COVID-19 salary cap, the Eagles can't have $33 million in dead money on the books to a player that isn't playing for them. It would be a bold move if Lurie did it, but even if he continues to struggle, and even with Jalen Hurts on the roster, Wentz being back in 2021 feels a near certainty.
Lurie might also, for really the first time ever, find himself taking a hard look at Roseman.
When Lurie moved Roseman to the other side of the building in 2015, he did so because he didn't really have a choice. Chip Kelly didn't trust Roseman, and Lurie wasn't ready to move on from Chip. Lurie inserted Roseman back into power less than a season later, meaning he has never really decided to move on from the executive he has trusted for 10-plus years.
Roseman's recent track record of moves aren't pretty, but Lurie moving on from Roseman — while keeping Wentz and Pederson — feels very unlikely.
Right or wrong, Pederson feels like the one that will take the fall.
Why?
The head coach seems to be pretty clearly at the bottom of the power totem pole at the NovaCare Complex. The Eagles aren't financially tied to him like Wentz, and he doesn't have the history Roseman does with Lurie. Lurie and Roseman's decisions to fire offensive coordinator Mike Groh, despite Pederson wanting to keep him, was a clear sign they were unhappy with the offense. It also hinted at them perhaps not trusting Pederson completely to fix it. With the Eagles averaging just 18 points-per-game the first two seasons, chances are Lurie is even more frustrated than before with the offense.
Pederson potentially being the first to take the fall feels unfair. He has been the main reason for some of the biggest wins in franchise history. He doesn't pick the players. He doesn't execute the plays. He has, arguably, the best resume of the three.
But the results are the results. Either the players Roseman are picking don't mesh with Pederson, or the offense Pederson is running doesn't mesh with Wentz. The track record of below-average football is too long to have any other takeaway.
What Lurie decides, and who he decides to pin the blame on, will end up shaping the future of this franchise for years to come.
Which is why after another embarrassing loss, the decision Lurie is going to have to make sooner than most expected feels more important than the actual games that are still to be played.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
