Eagles QB Carson Wentz Reveals ‘Minor’ Injury, Updates Status for Week 1

Carson Wentz

Getty Eagles QB Carson Wentz has developed into the undisputed leader of the Eagles, a grown man from North Dakota.

A familiar face was back out there leading the first-team offense on Monday: Carson Wentz.

Wentz had missed three straight practices with an undisclosed “lower-body” injury deemed minor in scope. The Eagles have been downplayed it all week and insisted their franchise quarterback would be out there for Week 1. Still, it was refreshing to hear Wentz himself declare he was “feeling great.” The decision to rest was indeed a precautionary one after the 27-year-old felt a “little groin tightness.” (No, it’s not the dreaded sports hernia).

“I feel great now. I had a little groin tightness, and it was a really good week to just let it rest and take care of myself off the field,” Wentz told reporters. “I was out there today practicing and feeling great so, yeah, that will be behind me for sure.”

Many were on edge considering Wentz’s troubling injury history (torn knee, fractured back, concussion) and the decision to sign Josh McCown to the practice squad only heightened that concern. Rest assured, Wentz is fine. The fifth-year signal-caller admitted he was feeling both “anxious” and “excited” for the season opener on Sept. 13 in Washington.

“I guess anxious would be the right word, excited probably,” Wentz said. “I know what we’ve looked like in practice and I feel extremely confident in the guys we have but a lot of new guys, lot of younger guys that haven’t gotten a chance to get out there and get their feet wet. So I’m excited about it. I’m also anxious to see what Washington’s defense is going to look like, too, completely new staff over there — a lot of unknowns on both sides and that’s kind of the beauty of Week 1 so we’re excited for it.”

Wentz has a whole new cast of lightning bolts on offense itching to rain down storms on the NFL. Unfortunately, the Eagles will be without two of them — receivers Jalen Reagor (first round) and Quez Watkins (sixth round) — to start the year. Watkins should be back by Week 4 and Reagor hopefully sooner than that.

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Wentz Recalls Rookie Year, First Year as Starter

Wentz learned he would be the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles exactly five Labor Days ago. He was on a hunting trip in North Dakota, laying in a cornfield when his phone rang. It was Doug Pederson informing him that Sam Bradford had been traded.

“It was pretty crazy. I was out hunting,” Wentz said. “I was laying in a cornfield, not a great morning hunt, but got that call from coach as I was laying in the middle of the corn and we packed up right then and there and I said, ‘I gotta go’ and it was definitely one to remember and I definitely cherish that memory.”

Much has happened since that fateful day. Wentz inked a $128 million extension last year to remain the face of the franchise through 2024. Then, he became a father to a beautiful baby girl in April. Prior to that, he helped the Eagles win a Super Bowl in 2017 while dealing with a rash of injuries. Whirlwind, to say the least.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” Wentz said. “It’s been something new every year, that you’re learning about yourself. There’s been a lot of highs and lows for me, both on the field and also with injuries and all of those things. A lot of life changes as well, getting married and having a daughter, so life has been a whirlwind, to say the least. I’ve grown a lot as a man and in my faith.”


Happy to Have Old Man McCown Back, Too

The decision to add Josh McCown to the practice squad as the emergency/quarantine quarterback was genius. He’ll serve as a player-coach and “virtually” mentor guys from East Texas. If an outbreak hits the Eagles’ quarterbacks room, McCown will swoop in and save the day. Great idea.

“To what level he’s engaged, we’ll kind of wait and see as we go,” Wentz said. “But I’m pretty proud of him for also setting another record, for being the oldest practice squad player. He just keeps setting new records. It’s always good to have him around and we’ll see how it unfolds this season.”

Wentz also couldn’t help himself by making a joke about McCown’s age. He turned 41 in July. He’s officially the oldest practice squad player in NFL history.

“I’m very excited about it. Having Josh around last year was huge for me, but really for this entire building. He had a lot of insight, a lot of intelligence, kind of a mentor to a lot of guys … he’s twice the age of most guys in this building so we give him crap for that, but it’s awesome to have him back.”

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