"We have a very young football team, and I have to give them - there is always a little bit of rope here to get them where they need to be".

Where else would the future (and now present) face of your franchise be at a time like this? When the quarterback steps on the field this Sunday, Eagles fans will be watching a fully healthy Wentz take command of this offense.

Wentz played in just one preseason game, before suffering a hairline fracture.

After going through the normal bumps and bruises of training camp, the Eagles head into Sunday's season opener against the Cleveland Browns in ideal health. The wait has been agonizing, but the tackle now gets to block for Carson Wentz.

As if the Philadelphia Eagles weren't already in the headlines enough, they're at it again. Pederson was the inexperienced starter. Jared Goff, who the Los Angeles Rams took before Wentz, isn't even the backup in L.A., so Wentz has proven to be the better of the two picks thus far.

Now, Pederson is the new coach.

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How did Wentz go from third to first?

"He's such a special guy". Similarly, Ertz got a call from Bradford at around 8 a.m. Saturday, he said, followed by one from Wentz about an hour or two later. The one exception? A 34-14 beatdown of Big 12 team Iowa State in his first NCAA start. The Eagles traded their starting quarterback, Sam Bradford to the Vikings last week. The blockbuster trade means they'd rather rebuild this season than try to contend in a weak NFC East.

There's no way they can start Daniel and claim that they're still competing. But coaches were impressed with his workouts and progress in the film room. "It's just the game of football, and I'm ready to go out there and play within myself, and play within this system and really lead these guys". For Wentz, coming from an FCS school in North Dakota, it seemed especially prudent to take things slow. They were 0-4 in 2008. But there's this: Since 1990, 28 of the 53 teams that had an undefeated preseason made the playoffs.

Punter Britton Colquitt will have to adapt to life at sea level after spending six seasons in Denver. Versatile returner Darren Sproles and Kenjon Barner also will get carries. Siemian was a 7th round pick in 2015 out of Northwestern. So does Josh Huff. Johnson has been waiting for word from the NFL on an expected 10-game suspension for a second violation of the league's performance-enhancing drug policy. So there's uncertainty upfront.

Pederson said the reaction of the players to the news that Wentz would be the season-opening starter was entirely positive. Allen Barbre waits to shift from LG to RT to replace Johnson.