Carson Wentz should hold no grudge against the Browns

Much is being made about the Cleveland Browns opening up the season against Carson Wentz after passing on him in this year’s draft.

The Cleveland Browns will begin the 2016 NFL season with 13 drafted rookies on the roster, although the focus heading into Sunday’s opener is on a player the Browns did not take.

Carson Wentz, who the Browns could have taken with the No. 2 overall selection, got the nod as the Philadelphia Eagles’ starting quarterback for Sunday’s game following the trade of Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings.

Wentz was the third quarterback on the depth chart throughout the preseason, behind Bradford and Chase Daniel, but it makes sense to give him a chance to start, as the Eagles seem to be joining the Browns in rebuild mode.

Along with Jared Goff, Wentz seemed to be a potential player for the Browns to pick at that No. 2 spot, but as we know the front office passed on Wentz and committed to acquiring more picks.

Wentz was still taken No. 2 overall, after the Eagles traded with the Browns to move up to that pick, but it could be assumed that Wentz wants to prove to the Browns that he should not have been passed up, especially after comments made by Paul DePodesta about Wentz’s potential.

This may only be an angle built up by the media, but competitive spirit alone should be enough for Wentz to want to prove something.

But while no one wants to be passed on by a team, Wentz should be glad the Browns passed on him in 2016. With the Browns in a full-on rebuild mode, even greater than that being undertaken by the Eagles, Wentz would have been at a disadvantage if chosen to be Cleveland’s starter this year.

The Browns have had a habit of putting young quarterbacks on the field without much talent around the signal-caller, leading to stunted career growth and short careers. Bringing Wentz in and having him start would have continued this cycle, which is one no quarterback should want to be a part of.

Instead, the Browns are going with Robert Griffin III, who has some NFL experience and should have the understanding of the situation he is in. He chose to sign with the Browns to try to jumpstart his career, with the knowledge the team is going to be young and inexperienced. Throwing Wentz into the same situation would have been unfair to the young quarterback.

So while some angles may focus on the Browns passing on Wentz, the player himself should be happy with how things played out. He will still face a tough season in Philadelphia, but Cleveland would not have been any better for his career development.