Carson Wentz has a fractured back, but the Eagles are not yet ruling him out for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams. Eagles coach Doug Pederson said Friday that Wentz will travel to L.A. with the team, and will be officially designated as questionable for the game.
That seems strange, because Pederson also said that though surgery is not necessary, it could take three months for Wentz to make a full recovery from what Pederson described as a "stress injury" in his back.
#Eagles coach Doug Pederson says QB Carson Wentz’s injury has “evolved over time.” He called it a stress injury and says a full recovery would take 3 months.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 14, 2018
The fact that the injury "evolved over time" is perhaps not surprising, given that it was reported on Thursday that Wentz had previously underwent CT scans on his back earlier in the season but they didn't catch any injury. He had another scan earlier this week and an MRI on Thursday which found the fracture.
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A recent CT scan on Carson Wentz’s back revealed a fractured vertebrae that, if allowed time to rest, would fully heal without further expected issues, sources tell ESPN. There will be a continued evaluation to determine if continuing to play this year will make injury worse.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 13, 2018
Sources: A battery of tests revealed that #Eagles QB Carson Wentz has a fracture in his back. The team did CT scans throughout the season, but none revealed the fracture until now. The team is still determining if there is any risk of continuing to play. No surgery necessary.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 13, 2018
The Eagles are expected to start Nick Foles in Wentz's place, as they did last year when Wentz tore his ACL, but Pederson is apparently holding out the chance that Wentz could play despite his injury. As former NFL doctor David Chao wrote earlier this week, a stress fracture is a long-term concern, and it's possible or probable Wentz won't be 100 percent until 2019. With the Eagles all but eliminated from playoff contention and Wentz being the most important player in the franchise's future, that seems especially unwise, but it's not like teams haven't made unwise decisions before.
