The Eagles seemed to receive good news before handling the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday night when rookie quarterback Carson Wentz went through a lengthy workout, a sign that the No. 2 overall pick was on track to play in Thursday night’s preseason finale against the New York Jets.
Listening to Doug Pederson on Monday morning, any of those expectations were tempered quite bit.
“[Wentz] had a CT scan done and it came back he had the two [fractured] ribs there, so the 10th one is completely healed, the 11th one still shows about 60 percent,” Pederson said. “So there’s still some injury there with him going forward.”
So does that mean Wentz won’t suit up Thursday night at The Linc?
“If he’s 60 percent with that rib, probably not,” Pederson said.
As it turns out, Pederson was hinting at what the Eagles already definitely knew: Wentz will not be playing on Thursday.
Everyone, from Eagles coaches to writers and fans, wanted to see Wentz play in the final preseason game, which is almost always an uneventful affair. But because his ribs didn’t heal rapidly enough, an extended look at the future starting quarterback wasn't in the cards.
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Pederson mentioned that Wentz was still sore from Saturday’s pre-game drills, and he’ll continue to work out this week.
The rookie won’t rejoin the team until they’re in regular season mode, strictly working on getting Sam Bradford and the starters ready week by week. For Pederson, whose plan from the jump has been to bring Wentz along slowly, the injury isn’t a major setback in the short term.
“I just go back to what I see in the classroom, what I see off the field, his work ethic here, and just what he knows and what he understands” Pederson said. “The situation where it is with Sam and Chase, and him going into season as the third [quarterback], it doesn’t concern me as much right now.”
Carson Wentz might be ready for Week 1, but if he hoped to get on the field, that's going to be too late.
Additional Injuries
• Pederson said Jordan Matthews (knee) would participate in Monday's practice and "should be ready to go" when the regular season rolls around.
• Defensive linemen Vinny Curry and Taylor Hart, who also suffered knee injuries in Indy, are on track to return before September 11th's opener against Cleveland, per Pederson.
• A couple of rookies are on the shelf. Isaac Seumalo, who didn't play Saturday, is still "day-to-day" but should return by Week 1. It will be interesting to see if Seumalo or Stefen Wisniewski starts the season at left guard. Wendell Smallwood, who took a nasty hit on Saturday, is currently in the concussion protocol.
• It was curious to see Mychal Kendricks playing into the fourth quarter against the Colts. According to Pederson, the 25-year-old linebacker hasn't lost his starting job.
"He hasn't played [in the preseason]," Pederson said. "We just want to see him get game and live reps. That's the bottom line."
"He's another one that we'd love to see again this Thursday night, in a short role. But at the same time, he hasn't played all preseason. Stephen Tulloch is another one that we need to see play, so there's an opportunity for these two to get some more reps on Thursday."
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