Jalen Mills: ‘He looked like Carson Wentz’

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - The empirical evidence points to Carson Wentz being ready for the 2018 opener against the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 6.

The star quarterback, who tore his ACL and LCL against the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 10 of last year, was able to work throughout the spring in both individual drills and certain controlled 7-on-7 sessions.

Although the Eagles have avoided boxing themselves in with any timetables regarding Wentz's rehabilitation, independent surgeons have told 973espn.com that Wentz will likely be cleared for contact sometime in August if there are no setbacks between now and then.

"I'm not going to put myself in a box that way. I'm just going to see how it unfolds, quite honestly," coach Doug Pederson said at minicamp when discussing Wentz. "We'll prepare and get our guys ready, and if they're ready, great; if not, we'll move on from there, too."

It's one thing to look at Wentz from the sidelines and say he looks good but when that opinion is validated by someone on the field on the other side of the football it takes on some added significance.

Jalen Mills, the Eagles' starting left cornerback, appeared on PFT Live Wednesday and gave the latest promising feedback on Wentz.

"He looked like Carson Wentz,” Mills said. “Of course he wasn’t scrambling and he didn’t rush out of the pocket, but when he was sitting in the pocket during 7-on-7 drills when he was allowed, he was out there throwing strikes, doing things he always does.”

There is still a long way to go and mobility is a big part of Wentz's skill set so watching how he handles playing with a brace will be paramount.

Pederson expects to split first-team reps between Wentz and Nick Foles whenever Wentz is cleared to practice in an effort to make sure both players are ready for the Falcons.

"It just falls back to our medical staff, being on the same page with them, and making sure that he's 100 percent," Pederson said. "I'm sure he's going to be eager and in his mind possibly ready to go. But again, I want to make sure that he's 100 percent. Bottom line. And really with all our guys before we put them back out there. I just don't want to risk anything further."