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Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz suffered a hairline fracture in his ribs during Thursday's preseason game, the team announced on Saturday.

During the game, Eagles fans were itching to see Wentz' NFL debut, but it might be a while before they see him again given the injury. Doug Pederson confirmed the team's training staff found a hairline fracture in his ribs.

"Carson felt some discomfort and soreness as we began this morning's practice. We decided to limit him throughout the remainder of practice and, as a precaution, sent him for a CT scan after practice," Pederson said. "The scan revealed a hairline fracture in his ribs. We do not know an exact timetable for his return, but we hope to have him back before the end of the preseason."

The plan all along was to Wentz to get little playing time this year: theoretically, Sam Bradford will be healthy and playing at a high level for 16 games and the Eagles will make a playoff run. Even if that doesn't happen, Philly spent big on Chase Daniel at the backup position to ensure they wouldn't face a situation where the rookie was forced into the fire too early.

Now there's a pretty good chance he could miss the rest of the preseason, which would mean no more critical practice reps for the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Everything needs to break Philly's way at the quarterback position for this year to be a successful season. Based off the first preseason game, things aren't going quite as well as they would hope.

It's also possible Wentz returns in time for the preseason, but rushing back a highly-drafted rookie is a pretty aggressive move when he's the future of your franchise.