Eagles QB Carson Wentz among five finalists for NFL Rookie of the Year

Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback Carson Wentz won't be leading his team out onto the field when the NFL playoffs open this weekend. But if you believe Howie Roseman, that's hardly the now-24-year-old rookie's fault. 

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"Carson missed the final three preseason games [and] missed a month of training camp," Roseman said early on in his post-mortem presser on Wednesday. "He was notified he was the starting quarterback eight days before the start of the season. [With] his competitive fire, his intangible skill set, his physical skill set, we couldn't be more excited about the things that he brings to the table and see what he's going to do with a full offseason and opportunity to grow here in year two."

Apparently, those around the league agree with Roseman's sentiment. 

Despite having a much stronger start than finish to his first NFL season -- one in which his team finished 7-9 and included a stretch in which the Eagles went just 2-9 -- Wentz has been named a finalist for the 2016 NFL Rookie of the Year.

And according to The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane, the competition is stiff...

The winner will be announced on Feb. 4 at the annual NFL Honors in Houston, the site of this year's Super Bowl.

But first, let's quickly take a look at how these guys stack up (although that may be hard because only two of them play the same position).

CARSON WENTZ

Quarterback | Philadelphia Eagles

PASSING

RUSHING

DAK PRESCOTT

Quarterback | Dallas Cowboys

PASSING

RUSHING

EZEKIEL ELLIOTT

Running Back | Dallas Cowboys

RUSHING

RECEIVING

JOEY BOSA

Defensive End | San Diego Chargers

DEION JONES

Linebacker | Atlanta Falcons

*He returned two of them for TDs.

Follow Matt on Twitter: @matt_mullin