Peter King Believes Carson Wentz Won't Return from Injury Until Week 3 vs. Colts

With the Philadelphia Eagles' season opener just nine days away, quarterback Carson Wentz's status for Week 1 remains unclear as he works his way back from a torn ACL suffered last December.

Peter King of NBC Sports, though, said Monday on The Dan Patrick Show that Week 3 may be a more realistic timeline (around the 4:15 mark):

Philadelphia coach Doug Pederson recently declined to set a timeframe on Wentz's return for the media, via NBC 10 Philadelphia's Vai Sikahema:

"When they clear him, he'll be cleared," Pederson said, via ESPN's Tim McManus.

The Eagles have spent the offseason trying to slowly work Wentz back onto the field in hopes he would be ready for the opener. However, John Clark of NBC Philadelphia reported Sunday that the third-year signal-caller has yet to be cleared for contact.

The reigning champs are in an unusual position when it comes to quarterback. While Wentz put himself in the NFL MVP conversation as he led the Eagles to an NFC East title last year, backup Nick Foles stepped in and put together arguably the most unbelievable postseason run in NFL history. The end result was the franchise's first Super Bowl championship and a Super Bowl MVP award for Foles.

Philadelphia made Foles available this offseason, but when no team blew the Eagles away with an offer, they decided not to make a trade. In doing so, they retained a valuable insurance policy in the event Wentz is unable to take the field Sept. 9.

Wentz's status has become a bigger talking point following the Eagles' latest preseason performance, a 5-0 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Foles threw for just 127 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions during the first half of the shutout loss. That ugly showing led Pederson to express his disappointment with Foles and the offense.

It would be easy for the Eagles to overreact to the exhibition loss and try to rush Wentz back for next week's opener. But as King noted, the organization is hoping Wentz will be under center for years to come. That makes his long-term health top priority even if it means holding him out of action early on this season.