The Philadelphia Eagles are now set to rely more on young quarterback Carson Wentz than ever before. Now that Nick Foles will be calling a new city home next season, said reliance is somewhat of a curveball.
Wentz suffered a stress fracture in his back this past regular season. He missed the final five games and Philly’s playoff run. This came after he tore an ACL as a sophomore back in 2017.
The good news? According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Wentz is expected to be able to participate in all of the Eagles’ offseason program.
What does it mean? Still concern, but this is some big news.
- If Wentz suffered a setback in his rehab from injury, the Eagles would’ve been forced to seriously consider starter-caliber options in free agency. They couldn’t go into the offseason program with major questions under center.
- Remember, Wentz suffered a similar injury during his amateur days. That has led to concern that this could be a long-term issue. Sunday’s news puts out the fire in that regard a little bit.
Nick Foles is gone: The reigning Super Bowl MVP already had one foot out the door.
- Philadelphia has until February 11 to pick up the $20 million option on Foles’ contract. Should the team do that, he can become a free agent by paying back $2 million of his 2018 bonus.
- The Eagles can also decline the option — deciding instead to place the franchise tag on Foles. This would enable the team to trade him.
- Sunday’s news adds more credence to the idea that Philly won’t let Foles test free agency without being handed the tag.
A long-term issue: There’s some concern that this injury could linger.
- The Eagles would not let Wentz take part in any off-season program unless he were 100 percent healthy. That’s certainly some good news on this front.
- Though, the team will almost undoubtedly look for a capable backup behind the youngster. There’s still some internal concern within the organization.