Carson Wentz, Andrew Luck Injury Updates: Quarterbacks Aiming For Week 1 Return

Andrew Luck and Carson Wentz are two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. That is, of course, when they are healthy, which is far from a guarantee heading into the 2018 season.

Neither signal caller finished last season as their respective team’s starting signal caller. Wentz went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 14 and was forced to watch the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl run from the sidelines, while Luck never even made it onto the field in 2017 because of a shoulder injury.

With the NFL Draft fast approaching, there are serious questions regarding both players. Will Wentz be ready for Week 1 and be the same quarterback that was an MVP candidate? Will Luck ever play again?

The more encouraging news comes from Luck, who hasn’t played since Week 17 of the 2016 season. Shoulder surgery was only supposed to cost the quarterback a few games, but he ended up missing the whole season, causing concerns that he might need a second surgery.

Speaking with Sports Illustrated’s Peter King via video chat during the Colts’ town hall meeting Tuesday night, Luck confirmed that he’s making progress and won’t need to go under the knife again.

“Oh, that is not an option for me right now,” Luck said of a second surgery, via The Indianapolis Star.

“That ship has sailed in my mind, which is also a bit of relief now, if I’m not going to lie.”

With Luck sidelined in the early part of the season, the Colts didn’t reveal much about the quarterback’s progress. He was shut down from rehab in October because of a setback and placed on injured reserve in early November.

When Josh McDaniels backed out of Indianapolis’ head coaching job, there was more speculation that maybe Luck’s future was in doubt. But the former No.1 draft pick is working toward a return, and new head coach Frank Reich is “hopeful” that Luck will be ready to participate in the Colts’ offseason workouts in April.

“I’m in the middle of sort of a little bit of throwing, but strengthening and preparing my shoulder to be able to handle the throw load that is part of being an NFL quarterback,” Luck said. “The focus right now is still strengthening all those muscles and making sure my shoulder can handle that.”

Wentz certainly won’t be ready to practice in April. The quarterback is aiming to start in Week 1, but that’s far from a guarantee.

Performing like arguably the best quarterback in football, Wentz took his final snap of the season on Dec. 10 in a victory against the Los Angeles Rams. It was soon revealed that Wentz suffered a torn ACL, which would prevent him from playing the rest of the year.

But it isn’t just a torn ACL that Wentz must recover from.

The second-year player told the Philadelphia Inquirer during the playoffs that he also suffered a torn LCL. NFL.com also reported a few days after Wentz got hurt that the quarterback needed to have some meniscus damage repaired, as well.

“I don't think so,” Wentz said in January, via NBC Philadelphia, when asked if the injury being worse than originally thought might affect his recovery time. “I think, again, I'm very confident in talking with trainers and everything that the rehab schedule doesn't change a whole lot. It's just something we have to be careful with. I'm feeling confident with it and I said it in the video I posted right after the injury. I 100 percent believe I'll be back better than ever, stronger than ever, with no looking back.”

Not everyone seems to agree that Wentz will be back on the field in September. An orthopedic surgeon told SportsRadio 94WIP’s morning show Tuesday that the injury could take 11 months to recover from, comparing it to the one suffered by Robert Griffin III. That, of course, has some Eagles’ fans concerned about their franchise quarterback’s future.

Philadelphia has a more than capable backup quarterback in Nick Foles, who won the Super Bowl MVP award against the New England Patriots. Foles threw for 971 yards, six touchdowns and one interception for a 115.7 passer rating in three postseason games.

Foles expected to be a trade target of teams searching for a quarterback, though the defending champs might hold onto him because of Wentz’s uncertain recovery timetable.