Carson Wentz still not sure if he'll be cleared to start in Week 1

You can forgive Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz for seeming a little fatigued answering the predictable questions about his knee on Monday morning.

For about nine minutes, the media covering the Eagles focused on the only theme anyone wants to know about with Wentz right now: How is his knee, and will he start in Week 1? Wentz has been answering the same questions since he tore his ACL late last season.

And very politely, Wentz gave some version of the same answer for roughly nine minutes. He doesn’t know.

“It’s going to be close”

Wentz was cleared for 11-on-11 practice action last week, and that’s a great step in his comeback from ACL surgery. But he won’t play until he is cleared for contact, and Wentz said he didn’t know when that will be. The Eagles’ doctors will make that call.

“The final hurdle, which will not be my decision, will be being cleared for contact,” Wentz said.

“I feel good. I mean, I think you guys kind of see me out there. I have no hesitation in the pocket when guys are around me, those things. I feel really good. But it’s going to come down if they feel confident in contact, and when that is I can’t say yet.”

As Wentz was saying it, there were 17 days remaining until the Eagles start the season against the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 6. The Eagles get the Thursday night opener as defending champs, and while that’s a fantastic position to be in, it also means there is a little less time for Wentz to get ready.

“It’s going to be close,” Wentz said about being cleared for Week 1.

Eagles have maintained patience with Carson Wentz’s return

The Eagles coaches have maintained they won’t rush Wentz. It had to be a little scary when Nick Foles suffered a shoulder injury in last week’s preseason game, but it doesn’t appear the injury isn’t serious. If Foles is fine, it reduces the pressure to get Wentz back in the lineup for the regular-season opener.

The good news is Wentz says he feels good with what he has been able to do in practice. His injury came in December, which meant he had to be on a very tight timetable to even consider a Week 1 return.

“Everything has been going well, all throughout rehab, just been constant progression. I feel really good where I’m at,” Wentz said.

Given that Wentz was the NFL’s breakout star last season and the Eagles are defending Super Bowl champions for the first time, Wentz’s return is perhaps the biggest ongoing story in the league right now. As much as everyone wants to know when he’ll make his 2018 debut, Wentz remains in wait-and-see mode.

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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