After days of speculation in the media and among fans, Eagles Coach Doug Pederson said Friday that quarterback Carson Wentz has a 'stress injury' that has 'evolved' over time -- and won't require surgery.
Pederson said Wentz was officially listed as questionable to play Sunday in a critical game against the Rams. However, team sources have said that the Eagles have already decided backup QB Nick Foles will play instead of Wentz because of Wentz's trouble with his back.
He wouldn't directly confirm that the stress injury was a fractured vertabrae, as some sources have reported. "You word it how you want," he told reporters, sounding testy at times. "Fracture, injury."
"I am not going to get into a ton of specifics on this, you know that right now," he said.
Wentz is "listed as questionable and that's how it is," Pederson told reporters.
Pederson also said it wasn't clear when the injury occurred. He said he didn't want to put a timetable on Wentz' recovery, but it could be three months.
"You're asking when it happened and for something to evolve, it takes time," he said. "There were no symptoms, he was 100 percent, he practiced."
Philadelphia Eagles
Complete coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles and their NFL rivals from NBC Sports Philadelphia.
He also refused to connect the injury to Wentz's play over the past several games. "We saw the missed throws but we're not linking the two together, we just have to get better at the throw," he said.
He added that Wentz will travel with the team.
