It appears Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz will not play in the team’s first preseason game Thursday night against the Tennessee Titans, as the Birds' three backups -- Nate Sudfeld, Clayton Thorson, and Cody Kessler -- are all warming up, and Wentz is not. Add in that Wentz is on the field in street clothes just before kickoff, and I'll deduce that he is indeed not playing.
- MORE ON THE EAGLES
- Eagles vs. Titans: Week 1 preseason live updates/open thread
- Five over/unders for Eagles preseason opener vs. Titans
- 10 players to watch in the Eagles' first preseason game vs the Titans
On the one hand, season ticket holders who are forced to purchase tickets to these meaningless games would probably rather see Wentz play a series or two. On the other hand, with the Eagles’ success hinging on Wentz’s ability to stay healthy, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to put him in additional harm’s way in the first preseason game.
In fact, in his rookie season in 2016, Wentz suffered cracked ribs in a preseason game against the Buccaneers on a hit from a guy who never made a 53-man roster.
In 2017, he played in each of the first three preseason games, and had the following stats:
| Carson Wentz | Comp-Att | Yards | TD-INT | Rating |
| Packers | 4-4 | 56 | 1-0 | 158.3 |
| Bills | 6-9 | 56 | 0-0 | 83.8 |
| Dolphins | 6-10 | 129 | 2-1 | 104.2 |
He did not play in the super-meaningless fourth preseason game against the Jets. In 2018, Wentz obviously did not play in the preseason, at all.
Wentz will likely take the field in the Eagles’ second preseason game on the road next Thursday against Nick Foles and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Follow Jimmy & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @JimmyKempski | @thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
Add Jimmy's RSS feed to your feed reader