It's been a whirlwind of a year for quarterback Carson Wentz.
He finished up his collegiate career at North Dakota State, went right into preparing for the NFL Draft, was selected second overall by the Eagles and then thrown into a starting role just days before the 2016 season opener. He handled the adversity like a veteran, proving to everyone that he is a player the Eagles can and will build around.
Now with the offseason in full swing, Wentz is taking some time off to recharge, both mentally and physically, before beginning to think about how he'll spend the next few months preparing for his sophomore campaign.
"I definitely need to reflect," Wentz said the day after the Eagles defeated Dallas in the season finale. "A year ago at this time, my life was crazy different and how many things have changed and what all just transpired in terms of this season. Definitely need to take some time to reflect and kind of sit back and look at all the crazy things that have happened."
However, something the quarterback already considered is working with someone to further refine his mechanics. Wentz has thought about seeking the guidance of an individual such as Tom House, who has worked with players like Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Eli Manning and Joe Flacco in the past.
Nothing is set in stone, but he understands the importance of continuing to develop and working to correct the flaws in his game, which will only help him and this team in the future.
"It's definitely in consideration. We're working through some of those things," Wentz said. "Again, I don't have a lot of answers for my offseason yet because I haven't had a ton of time to think about it, but I could see that happening."
One plan for Wentz is a definite though – spending time with tight end Zach Ertz and wide receiver Jordan Matthews.
This season, Ertz and Matthews were the quarterback's two most reliable pass catchers. Ertz finished as the Eagles' leading receiver with 816 yards, while Matthews finished a close second with 804 yards.
Both missed two games each and had their own challenges to overcome. The tight end needed time to develop chemistry with Wentz and missed the Week 2 and 3 games with a rib injury, making it even more difficult to form that connection. He ended strong as he ranked second in the league with 63 receptions over the last nine weeks of the season, trailing only Green Bay's Jordy Nelson.
That showing is only the beginning for Ertz and Wentz.
"It's tough to win in this league without a quarterback, and we've got a heck of a quarterback for the future. So, we're real excited about it," Ertz said. "I know Carson's really excited to be here. I know guys are going to stay in the area around here in the offseason to kind of build that chemistry with Carson because we know he's going to stay here in the area.
"And I mean we're just stacking the bricks each and every day with each other in between practice reps, in between periods at practice, after practice. There was so much going into the success that we had over the last part of the season, and it's definitely reassuring when things pay off in that way."
Matthews on the other hand had a strong start, but was held back at the end of the year with an ankle injury. The wide receiver is looking to the future though and is ready to take another step this offseason with Wentz and Ertz.
The three will be in Philadelphia at times over the next few months and are going to make sure they use their time together wisely.
"When you got a core group of guys this close, we want to find a way to be as close to each other as much as possible," Matthews explained. "Carson's going to be here. Zach's got his residence here. I have a place here and in Nashville, so we're more so thinking definitely especially for the summer and probably near like the end of March, beginning of April – those times – really spending more time here working out together, building that chemistry and throwing. It's going to be something we're looking forward to."
