Carson Wentz excited to learn 'quarterback-friendly offense'

Carson Wentz spent nearly two weeks back in North Dakota beginning to learn the Eagles’ playbook and getting his “life in order” after a frenzied pre-draft process. He arrived in Philadelphia on Thursday, signed his first contract, and was on the field Friday in a red No. 11 jersey for the Eagles’ first practice of rookie minicamp. “Now, I’m out here for good,” Wentz said. His first session was anticlimactic. The Eagles practiced with mostly little-known players who will not be on the team next season. Wentz worked with his new coaching staff, but his experience will be more comparable to what he’ll see in the NFL when he trains with the veterans next week in organized team activities. That’s when Wentz will join Sam Bradford on the field for the first time. Wentz has not spoken to Wentz — the rookie did not reach out — but he said he does not anticipate a problem with the starter. “The relationship with him and the other quarterbacks in the room, it’ll be great,” Wentz said. “It will be a really competitive atmosphere. Hopefully we’ll all learn together and grow together and push each other. And hopefully it will lead to benefiting the team and win a lot of ball games. … “Personally, I don’t think there will be a lot of tension. I think people might make it out to be \[that way\], but I think the coaches and everyone will be on the same page and I think it’ll be a really good working relationship, for sure.” Wentz is expected to stay behind Bradford and Chase Daniel on the quarterback depth chart. He said he has not talked to the coaching staff about that yet, instead focusing on this weekend. But, at least for now, he is not objecting to the likelihood of opening the season on the bench. “All I care about is winning,” Wentz said. “If the team is winning, I’m going to do whatever it takes to help the team — whether that’s from a third-string role, a backup role, the starter, doesn’t matter. … We’ll see how that plays out.” Wentz was on the field with coach Doug Pederson for the first time Friday, but he had the last two weeks to begin learning the offense. Wentz called it a “great, quarterback-friendly offense” and he is especially fond of the “intricacies” the offense provides. He admitted that he has “just really scratched the surface” of the possibilities, and the focus this weekend is on “basic stuff.” As the spring turns into the summer, the practices become more sophisticated. Wentz understands it’s going to take time learning the Eagles’ system. The spring workouts will help, but Wentz’s acclimation to the scheme and what it requires could stretch into the preseason and beyond. “With an NFL playbook, you’ve got to pace yourself,” Wentz said. “There’s a lot of things going on in there … a lot of details. You’ve got to take it one step at a time and just keep building off what you’ve learned, and I think I’ve done that pretty effectively the last week.” Wentz said his objective this weekend is to lead the rookies and begin to show the coaches what he can do. He had been anticipating the first practice — Wentz said he was “antsy” after the pre-draft process — but this weekend was a light appetizer to what awaits. It picks up next week, with more players and experience on the field and a brighter spotlight on Wentz. The third-string quarterback does not usually command this type of attention, but eyes will be on the red No. 11 jersey whenever he’s on the field. “Just got to be myself,” Wentz said. “Don’t take a backseat, just be myself and be smart with it. … I’m really not too worried about it, to be honest. As time goes, the leadership will come out.”