Carson Wentz on track to return for Eagles' Week 3 game vs. Colts

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz still needs final medical clearance, but he is on track to return next Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, league sources tell ESPN.

Philadelphia has been cautious about rushing Wentz back from last season's knee injury, despite how strong he has looked in practice.

Following Sunday's 27-21 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Eagles coach Doug Pederson was coy when asked about Wentz, saying he'll "talk more about it [Monday], probably."

Tight end Zach Ertz said he's excited to get Wentz back "whenever that is," but cautioned that the team shouldn't expect to rest all its hopes on the young quarterback.

"We can't expect him to be Superman, either," Ertz said. "This is going to be his first NFL game in nine months. ... We've got a lot of talent on the offense where he shouldn't have to feel like he's got to come in and solve all our problems."

There were some within the Eagles organization who thought that, from a football standpoint, Wentz was ready to play Week 1, though the team stuck to a plan it had laid out for the star quarterback, taking a long-range view.

Wentz excelled during practice this past Wednesday -- almost exactly nine months after his injury -- looking sharp and ready for action. All that remains is being medically cleared, which is likely to happen as early as this week, according to sources.

Nick Foles once again started at quarterback Sunday, going 35-for-48 for 334 yards and a touchdown pass in the loss. The reigning Super Bowl MVP is now 6-2 as Philadelphia's starter -- including regular season and postseason -- since Wentz tore two knee ligaments in Week 14 last season.

Pederson said Wednesday that Wentz is doing "great." He continues to take part in team drills by working with the scout team in practice. According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, the player-tracking data that the Eagles use indicates that Wentz has hit a vital threshold -- the ability to protect himself.

"That's correct," Pederson said when asked whether Wentz's GPS data is trending in a positive direction. "That's what we've seen really since he came back into 11-on-11 as training camp progressed."

ESPN's Tim McManus contributed to this report.

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