Carson Wentz spent his time during quarantine getting buff.
The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback didn't finish the season on the field once again after suffering a concussion following a hit to the back of the helmet during their playoff loss. But unlike in 2017 after an ACL tear, and in 2018 dealing with a fractured bone in his back, Wentz was able to focus on bulking up this year instead of rehabbing.
"The last couple of offseasons, I was dealing with injuries and trying to bounce back from injuries,'' Wentz told reporters Thursday, via the Philadelphia Inquirer. "This offseason, I was really able to get after it and work out a little harder in my gym and all those things. I haven't gained anything insane weight-wise. But I have definitely gained some weight. I feel really good with where I'm at."
Health has been the main issue for Wentz in his still-young career. When he's on the field, he remains a difference-making quarterback who proved last year he could still perform even when injuries decimated the squad around him.
Besides adding some mass to help handle the hits, Wentz noted he hopes to improve on his fumbling after coughing up the pigskin 16 times last season -- only New York Giants rookie Daniel Jones had more fumbles. Wentz also noted he wants to continue to get better in the red zone (where the Eagles finished third in TD percent last year) and on third downs.
"Red zone and third down, that's something I'm going to focus on every year, whether we're first in the league or last in the league," he said. "Because I've realized over the first couple of years of my career that those downs make or break ball games.''
Wentz has several areas to improve his game. He finished 16th in pass success rate, per Next Gen Stats, at 48.9 percent (success rate is the percentage of pass plays resulting in a successful play based on the yards to go by down: 40%+ on first down, 50%+ on second down, conversion on third/fourth down). Drew Brees led all QBs in 2019 in that category with 57.2 percent. Having a healthy receiver corps would go a long way in Wentz improving in 2020.
Remaining healthy, however, is priority No. 1 for Wentz.
