The Philadelphia Eagles had no plans of starting Carson Wentz early in the regular season, so preseason experience was going to be important for his rookie development.

And his preseason might be over.

Wentz, the second overall pick of the draft, suffered a hairline fracture in his ribs in Thursday’s preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Wentz took some big hits in the game but stayed in and played fairly well.

The Eagles expressed confidence that Wentz could return before the end of the preseason.

“Carson felt some discomfort and soreness as we began this morning’s practice,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said in a statement. “We decided to limit him throughout the remainder of practice and, as a precaution, sent him for a CT scan after practice. The scan revealed a hairline fracture in his ribs. We do not know an exact timetable for his return, but we hope to have him back before the end of the preseason.”

Although Wentz could return before the end of the preseason, it wouldn’t be prudent for the Eagles to rush him back. They gave up a lot in the draft to move up to the second pick and grab Wentz, and he’s their future at quarterback.

This injury is a setback, and the Eagles don’t want to make it worse. If he comes back before the regular season, it’s a good sign that he’s fully healed.

We’ll see how Wentz recovers this month. It’s possible it will be a while before we see him on the field again.

– – – – – – –

Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
Follow @YahooSchwab