Carson Wentz might not be ready for Week 1
It’s not necessarily a new sentiment, but Carson Wentz’s status for Week 1 remains up in the air.
Despite being without Carson Wentz after Week 14 last year, the Philadelphia Eagles made a run to a Super Bowl title with Nick Foles under center. So caution can be the word with Wentz, and according to Albert Breer of MMQB.com the third-year signal caller said “it’s gonna be close” regarding if he plays Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons.
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson recently said Wentz would need a week of full team practice in order to be ready to play. So being cleared for 11-on-11 work over the weekend is the start of that required step, and positive sign now a little over two weeks from the season opener.
The idea of Wentz’s status for the season opener being practically a coin flip is not new. During a radio appearance less than a week ago, he used essentially the exact same words Breer quoted (with a slight grammatical difference), while going a little longer when asked about his Week 1 availability.
"I obviously would love to be out there. That’s been my goal all offseason ever since the injury. It’s going to be close. It’s going to be close. I’m still eyeing that date. At the end of the day, it’s not just my decision. There’s coaches and doctors that really have the final say. I really like where I’m at and time will tell here."
Foles suffered a shoulder injury last Thursday night against the Patriots, but he returned to practice on Sunday and appears to have avoided a significant issue. So the Eagles can still take it slow with Wentz’s recovery, as he crosses toward nine months after his ACL tear, and not worry about having to start Nate Sudfeld against Atlanta.
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Wentz is the Eagles quarterback of the future. If he has to miss a game or two to start this season, that’s a worthy cost if it means his knee will not be an ongoing issue.