Adrian Fedkiw
Carson Wentz was seemingly taking a hard hit on every other snap during the Philadelphia Eagles’ preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and one of those shots gave him a hairline fracture in his ribs.
Here’s the hit that might’ve done it.
Quarterback Carson Wentz posed for photos and selfies with nearly every member of the nation’s armed forces who lined up along the perimeter of the field Sunday night at Military Appreciation Day presented by Dietz & Watson. Wentz sported a No. 11 red jersey with camo letters and numbers, but was a spectator for the rest of the evening due to the hairline fracture of his ribs that he incurred during Thursday night’s win over Tampa Bay.
On his next to last play in the fourth quarter, Wentz was drilled in the side by Buccaneers linebacker Micah Awe. Wentz remained in the game and threw a pass on his final snap. He even tried to participate in Saturday’s practice, but later in the day had a CT scan to reveal the full extent of the injury. The Eagles said that they hope to have Wentz back before the end of the preseason, which is what Wentz echoed Sunday night.
“I really hope so. I love to play a lot,” Wentz said.
Wentz said this is the first time he’s suffered a rib injury. He described it as “weird” and “sore” which is why he wasn’t sure how to react to the injury. Wentz will be able to dictate when he returns to practice, but he must be cleared by team doctors before he can play in a game.
The preseason is critical for Wentz, the No. 2 overall pick, to get as many reps on the field as possible before giving way to Sam Bradford in the regular season. Now, he’ll have to soak everything in while watching.
“That’s part of being a backup quarterback,” Wentz said. “You’ve got to get mental reps whether you are hurt or on the field.”
As a rookie quarterback, Wentz could really use the extra reps during practice and the preseason, especially with him seemingly being “redshirted” during his freshman season. He’s expected to be the No. 3 quarterback heading into the season. The selfish part of me wants to see him out there for that finale, but you also don’t want to see him risk further injury if he’s not fully healed.