Eagles No. 2 quarterback Nate Sudfeld, who suffered a broken left (non-throwing) wrist in Thursday's preseason opener, underwent surgery Friday morning and is expected to return in six weeks, ESPN.com reported, citing an unidentified source and describing the timeline as the "best-case scenario for Philly."
After undergoing surgery this morning for a broken bone above his left wrist, Eagles’ backup QB Nate Sudfeld is expected to return in six weeks, per source. Best-case scenario for Philly.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 9, 2019
Sudfeld sustained the injury while being taken down toward the end of the first half of Thursday's 27-10 loss to the Titans. He went 10-for-18 passing for 177 yards and a touchdown before being injured.
Despite the relatively good news on how long Sudfeld will be sidelined, Cody Kessler, in his first season with the team, is now in line to be oft-injured starter Carson Wentz's primary backup.
#Eagles coach Doug Pederson tells reporters that QB Nate Sudfeld suffered a broken left wrist and will have surgery on Friday. But they won’t bring in a QB just yet. It’s on Cody Kessler to back up.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 9, 2019
Wentz has suffered season-ending injuries the past two years and has yet to play in a playoff game. The fourth-year quarterback had been replaced by Nick Foles in the past two postseasons, but Philadelphia lost that safety net when Foles signed a massive four-year deal with the Jaguars in March.
Kessler has played in 17 career regular-season games while Sudfeld has appeared in only three. Clayton Thorson was a fifth-round pick in this year's draft and went 2-for-9 passing with one interception in his first NFL action against the Titans.
The Philadelphia Inquirer noted that Wentz’s injury history (counting his senior season at North Dakota State he has missed 21 of his teams' last 68 games) and because the Eagles are considered legitimate Super Bowl contenders, "the identity and capability of the team's No. 2 quarterback could end up being very relevant."
Wentz didn’t play at all against the Titans and, according to the Inquirer, it wouldn't be a surprise if he doesn’t play in Week 2 against the Jaguars. That's in no small part because it's even more important for the Eagles to get their star quarterback to the regular season in one piece given that Sudfeld's injury is projected to keep him sidelined until Week 3, at best.