Carson Wentz assesses his first game back and talks about the potential return of Alshon Jeffery

Eagles head coach Doug Pederson spoke to the media early on Wednesday and announced that Alshon Jeffery was medically cleared, but the team will have to see how he performs at practice before determining if he’ll play Sunday.

Whether Jeffery is back against the Titans or not, quarterback Carson Wentz should at least have one of his favorite targets back during team drills this week.

Wentz spoke to reporters on Wednesday about what it’ll mean to get some of his offensive weapons back in the upcoming weeks, his first performance after nine months, and what he’s working on as the team prepares for Tennessee in Week 4.

Here’s what the quarterback had to say:

On his first game back

Wentz admitted that he’s very hard on himself and he does go back and watch the tape, but that he has to turn the page really fast to shift focus to the next opponent rather than dwelling on mistakes. He said he works to put the things he can improve and fix in the back of his mind, but by mid-week is focused on what’s next.

On things he can improve, Wentz was quick to note that protecting the ball and limiting turnovers is the top priority — especially pushed up against their endzone. But he was ultimately encouraged by how quickly they started against the Colts, and having that no huddle hurry-up tempo is something they can build on.

He also was asked to talk about where he is emotionally heading into his second game back. Wentz admitted he felt good against the Colts, and after he took the field, those emotions sort of faded away and he was back to playing football like he always has.

On utilizing tight ends

He talked a little about the tight ends and how much the team puts on their plates in terms of run and pass blocking and route running, and that rookie Dallas Goedert, along with Zach Ertz and Josh Perkins, do a great job stepping up into those roles.

Wentz also talked about building a rapport with newcomers Kamar Aiken and Jordan Matthews, but that in Week 3 he was really trying to get the tight ends involved and open up some more of those 12 and 13 personnel packages.

He lauded the team’s tight ends for not only being great pass catchers, but also putting a lot of pressure on defenses and creating some mismatch for their opponents.

On Titans prep

The QB admitted that he had watched Marcus Mariota’s film a little bit back during his Heisman year, and noted that he’s really athletic although unsure of Mariota’s injury status. Wentz quipped that he isn’t really that familiar with the Titans offense, and is focusing on watching their team’s defensive film instead.

On the defense, Wentz said “they’re good” and pointed out that the Titans defense is a veteran group who are pretty smart and instinctual. He also noted that they adjust really well and mix up their fronts and coverages, and will be a challenge on Sunday.

He wouldn’t say that it’s more difficult preparing for those different type of looks and protections, but just that they need to put in extra time and work to make sure they are prepared.

Wentz also didn’t name a particular player that he’s been watching, but said that they are a stacked team from the line to the secondary. He said rather than there being one stand-out player, the film shows a bunch of smart players what are always in position and always flying around the field making plays.

On getting injured offensive players back

Wentz talked about hoping that Alshon Jeffery would be good enough to play on Sunday, but that overall the wide receiver adds a boost to the offense and opens up some different options down field.

He was asked about Pederson’s assertion that even once all the offensive pieces are back together, it’s going to take time to get back into a rhythm. Wentz agreed and said each season they’d like to come out swinging, but team’s have schemed them and they have some new faces in the locker room, so they’re hoping to start clicking sooner rather than later but that’s what they’re working on in the early parts of the season.

The quarterback also talked about Jay Ajayi providing a bit of a spark for the team’s offense last season. He noted that you have a guy who runs violent and hard, and a guy who bounces off tackles and picking up big plays, so anytime Ajayi is on the field, they know the potential is there for a break-out play.