Wentz Frustrated About Missing Preseason Finale

Carson Wentz. (Jeff Fusco)

Carson Wentz confirmed he won’t play in the Eagles’ preseason finale Thursday night against the Jets, but he does expect to be good to go once the regular season hits next weeks.

“It’s frustrating. I was obviously hoping to get out there one more time in the preseason, but it is what it is. I’m going to still try and learn as much as I can and get ready for Cleveland,” Wentz said. “Especially me as a competitor, coming in here these preseason games were going to be big for me. It’s tough.”

Wentz, who worked out on the field before the Eagles’ 33-23 win over the Colts on Saturday, added that although he’s still “a little sore” when he throws, his ribs feel much better. According to Doug Pederson, Wentz’s CT scan revealed the rookie quarterback’s 10th rib is completely healed, while his 11th rib is only 60 percent recovered.

Wentz will participate in most practice sessions this week, but he is not yet cleared to get hit.

“I feel confident with where I am. Obviously I missed a couple of preseason games, but I know when my number gets called I’ll be ready,” Wentz said. “I’m young in my career — it’s going to be a long career. It’s a marathon, so I’m trying not to get too down about it and just take it one day at a time.”

When Wentz sits on Thursday, he’ll continue to get mental repetitions. Although Pederson noted that’s it difficult for Wentz to miss three preseason games, the 23-year-old says he’s still learning on the sideline.

“You really just put yourself in the situation,” Wentz said. “You’re not the one out there making the plays [and] making the throws, but you really just think: What would I do here? How would I read this? What was the coverage there? What would I do with the protection? You’re really just trying to be locked in as if you were the guy in the game. I’ve been pretty successful with learning from that. Obviously, it’s not quite the same, but you’ve got to make the most with what you can.”