The Philadelphia Eagles will begin their Super Bowl defense on Thursday night when they play host to the Atlanta Falcons. The Eagles will enter this season with the guy who won the Super Bowl under center, as Nick Foles is expected to guide the team for a while. Of course, this is so interesting because Foles is the team’s backup signal caller.
Philadelphia has been without starting quarterback Carson Wentz since December, as he tore ligaments in his knee during the team’s game against the Rams. He might have been the league MVP before he went down, but Wentz was unable to miss the stretch run and, eventually, the Eagles winning the first Super Bowl in franchise history.
This has all led to a major question in Philly: When will Wentz be ready to play? According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the answer is “several weeks.”
#Eagles QB Carson Wentz isn’t expected to play for a few more weeks… and everyone is OK with that. Nothing more important than the health of the face of the franchise. pic.twitter.com/9wnhOknmhM
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 6, 2018
“They’re being overly cautious with the face of their franchise,” Rapoport said. “They know this is a decision that will not just affect the next couple weeks, but the next 10 or 15 years. They’re not going to put him out there until he is 100 percent healthy.”
Rapoport also pointed out that this is why the Eagles made it a point to hold onto Foles this past offseason, even though other teams came calling about the Super Bowl MVP. It’s an approach that makes sense for Philly — they showed they can win it all with Foles, and while Wentz is among the best quarterbacks in the league, there’s no reason to potentially jeopardize his long-term health when a the most viable backup option in the league is right there.
Watching Wentz play football is a blast, so despite some rust that he’ll have to work off, it’s going to be great seeing him back on the field. The issue is that might take a little while longer.
