Nick Foles, who has been battling elbow soreness all summer, returned to Eagles practice Monday, a week after his last practice.
Offensive coordinator Frank Reich said earlier in the day he wasn't sure whether Foles would play in the preseason finale against the Jets on Thursday night, but his presence at practice Monday was an encouraging sign. Foles has yet to play this preseason.
The sixth-year pro from Arizona missed OTAs with an elbow injury he has said dates back to last year, when he was Alex Smith's backup with the Chiefs. He participated on the first day of training camp but didn't practice again for two weeks.
He returned Aug. 15, but after indicating he was 100 percent and saying "I feel good, I feel really good," Foles sat out the Bills preseason game, practiced one day against the Dolphins, then shut down again and didn't play last Thursday night against Miami.
But after skipping practice Sunday, he was back on the field on Monday.
Offensive coordinator Frank Reich said Foles will be fine going into the regular season even if he doesn't play at all in the preseason.
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"The good thing in Nick's situation is you certainly want to play every play you can, but he's proven so much in his career, he's been a winner at this level, proven that he can win big games, do what it takes to win big games," Reich said before practice Monday. "So we're confident."
Foles wasn't at his locker during the 45-minute open session Monday and hasn't been available to the media since announcing last Tuesday he wouldn't be playing against the Dolphins.
Carson Wentz started all 16 games last year and only missed a few snaps in the second Giants game.
No. 3 quarterback Matt McGloin has completed 71 percent of his passes in the three preseason games but has one touchdown pass and an NFL-high three interceptions. He would presumably be No. 2 if Foles were unavailable.
Foles is 20-16 in his career as a starter and made the Pro Bowl with the Eagles in 2013. McGloin is 1-6 as a starter, with the one win coming in 2013 with the Raiders over the Texans in his first NFL start a week after making his NFL debut against the Eagles in the game Foles threw an NFL-record seven touchdowns.
Undrafted rookie Dane Evans from Tulsa is also on the roster.
"Nick's worked good this offseason and getting ready for the season mentally, physically, in every way," Reich said Monday.
"I think all players have bumps and bruises along the way. (Foles has) had a little bump, and I think it will pass quickly and we're ready for the season."
Foles said back on Aug. 15 that the injury was a serious one, but he was confident the worst of it was over.
"It sort of catches you off guard at first and you think it's just something that's going to go away, and then it gets worse and worse and worse and then you realize it's something (serious)," he said two weeks ago.
"I've been trying to treat it but it just never went away. There's days where it felt OK but never days where it felt great and then there were days where it felt horrible. So it's just one of those things, but it feels great now."
While Foles was back at practice on Monday, the following players did not participate: Jordan Hicks (quad), Brandon Graham (elbow), Paul Turner (shoulder), Jalen Mills (hand), Ron Brooks, Nate Gerry, Najee Goode, Destiny Vaeao and Chris Long. Long was the only player who missed practice on Monday who was not mentioned by Pederson on Sunday.
