Skip to content
Eagles
Link copied to clipboard

Doug Pederson says Carson Wentz will start Sunday: ‘I’ve said all along that he’s our guy’

Wentz has received medical clearance to return to action a little more than nine months after undergoing knee surgery.

Carson Wentz warms up on the field at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday prior to the Eagles' loss to the Buccaneers.
Carson Wentz warms up on the field at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday prior to the Eagles' loss to the Buccaneers.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer

Carson Wentz is back. The Eagles' franchise quarterback received medical clearance for contact on Monday and will start on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, his first football game in nine months.

Wentz's return was the subject of speculation and anticipation throughout the summer, with each benchmark measured and scrutinized. Although Wentz returns after the Eagles' Week 2 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the timing was unrelated to the loss. There had been a growing belief that Wentz would be back this week regardless of last Sunday's outcome.

"It was basically strictly a medical decision," coach Doug Pederson said. "We, the organization, really put it on our medical team and said, 'Hey, physically when is he going to be ready?' And whenever that date was, we were going to be ready to go. So, it just so happens it's this week. But it was never really the idea or the intent that we got to say, 'Hey, boom, let's focus on Week 3.' Could have been Week 4 or 5.' "

But it is this week. The game will be nine months and 13 days since Wentz injured his knee on Dec. 10 and nine months and 10 days since he underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee on Dec. 13. Pederson would not divulge what final steps needed to be reached to receive the medical clearance, although he speculated that passing the nine-month threshold was significant. If Wentz returned by his Week 1 target date, it would have been before the nine-month mark.

Wentz, who will speak publicly on Wednesday, has been eager to return throughout the summer. He was aggressive in his rehab, participating in practices during the spring and even in 11-on-11 drills on the first day of training camp. The Eagles scaled back his workload after three days, and Wentz did not return to full-team drills until the third week of the preseason. He could not play in games until he was cleared, missing the first two weeks of the regular season.

"In his mind, he was probably ready a month ago," Pederson said.

Pederson had weekly conversations with Wentz about the timetable. He told Wentz that the Eagles were thinking about the quarterback's long-term health and that "regardless if Doug Pederson is here or not, I want your career to extend for many, many years." Even with that approach, there was no consideration to holding Wentz back even after he received clearance or giving him extra practice time.

"He's cleared, he goes," Pederson said. "I've said all along that he's our guy. We drafted him to be our guy."

That doesn't mean Wentz will look like the pre-injury MVP candidate on Sunday. He hasn't taken a hit since December and hasn't taken the full allotment of first-team quarterback snaps throughout the offseason. Pederson admitted "it's going to take some time" for Wentz to readjust to the flow of the game.

"The speed of the game is different than the speed of practice," Pederson said. "We do everything we can to try to simulate that during the week and try to prepare him that way. And listen, he's a guy that will be totally prepared. He comes in early, studies the tape as do all the quarterbacks, stays obviously late in the day, asks a lot of questions, and has a lot of ideas. He's going to be prepared mentally. Now it's just a matter of the physical part taking over."

Pederson insisted that he will not be paranoid or scared in calling plays, so the coaches will not try to temper Wentz's aggressiveness or call a game that restricts the QB in any way. They will still have conversations with Wentz about protecting himself, but he won't have any limitations.

After Sunday's loss, tight end Zach Ertz said the Eagles "can't expect [Wentz] to be Superman" upon his return. Pederson agreed with Ertz's sentiment. The Eagles have been inconsistent on offense during the first two weeks while missing some key players in addition to Wentz, and Pederson emphasized that it's "going to take all 10 other guys around him to get it done."

"He's going to see the same things that Nick [Foles] was seeing, from defensive structure to blitzes, protection, the whole thing," Pederson said. "So we just have to make sure that we have those guys coached up, and that he's going to the right places with the football and making the right decisions in the run game. But I don't think it's an attack one way or the other on the quarterback position."

With Wentz back, Foles is relegated to No. 2 quarterback — an unfamiliar spot for a Super Bowl MVP. Foles has completed 54 of 82 passes for 451 yards with one touchdown and one interception this season. The Eagles went 1-1 with him at quarterback. Of course, they went 2-1 last winter after he replaced Wentz before going 3-0 in the postseason, including the Super Bowl.

Foles knew all along that this day would come. The only question was when. Wentz will start Week 3, and as long as he stays healthy, he'll remain the Eagles' starter.

"The greatest thing for me is that [quarterback] room has no egos, and Nick all along has understood that this is Carson's football team," Pederson said. "We drafted Carson to be the guy. And we owe a lot of gratitude to Nick Foles for what he's done … obviously what he's done this season and how he's led this football team. And he's a pro's pro. So, no egos. They check them at the door, and he'll be very supportive, has been very supportive, and will be that way from here on."

Get insights on the Eagles delivered straight to your inbox with Early Birds, beat writer Zach Berman's newsletter for Eagles fans. Click here to sign up.