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It’s a question now rivaling the raging debate over which came first: the chicken or the egg. At least in Philadelphia. Eagles head coach Doug Pederson updated the media on what to expect at Thursday’s preseason opener against Tennessee. The biggest takeaway was there is still no decision on whether Carson Wentz plays or not.
Pederson, a coach who relishes keeping his cards close to the vest, wouldn’t confirm one way or another how much his starting quarterback would play Thursday. From Pederson’s body language, it certainly seemed like he was erring on the side of caution. The best guess here is that Wentz may not take the field at all. He seems content to divvy up those extra snaps between backups Nate Sudfeld, Cody Kessler and Clayton Thorson.
“I have not decided that yet,” Pederson said. “We have a personnel meeting later today and we’re still working through a bunch of stuff and we have a lot of bodies we want to see in this game. I haven’t made a determination yet.”
“Well, obviously, [the argument] for [Wentz playing] is that he hasn’t been on the field in a while,” Pederson said. “We want to get him that feel of being back in the grass again, in a competitive live situation. And then, obviously, the reason for holding him [out] is we’re still evaluating Nate and Cody and Clayton. So those are the things we’re working through and we’ll let you know as soon as we have the answers.”
For his part, Wentz did nothing to provide any additional closure or insight. He echoed Pederson’s comments and seemed rather content with sitting out.
“I’ll let him [Pederson] do the thinking for me. It’s his decision and I’ll be ready either way,” Wentz said. “Whenever we get out there I’ll be ready, I’m excited for it. Again, it’s his decision and he can keep that to himself until the time is right.”
Is Wentz ready for that first hit? He hasn’t taken a real one since the Eagles lost in overtime to the Cowboys on December 9, 2018.
“I’ll be fine. You know, I’d love to go all year without getting hit at all, that would be great,” Wentz said. “But when it happens, it happens. Whether that’s the preseason, Week 1, Week 2 … it doesn’t really matter to me. I know my body is ready for it.”
Vegas Releases Updated NFL MVP Odds
The NFL futures betting lines are constantly updated in Las Vegas in the weeks leading up to the season. According to BetOnline, Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz has jumped up to 9-1 odds to win NFL MVP (+900). He is now getting better odds than four other big names, including Aaron Rodgers (+1200), Baker Mayfield (+1200), Tom Brady (+1400) and Drew Brees (+1400).
Meanwhile, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles has crept up the chart in impressive fashion after wowing in training camp. The former Eagle started as an incredibly good value pick, at 200-1 odds. According to BetOnline, Foles has now moved to 80-1 odds. Still, a decent pick for a longshot.
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