Nick Foles says muscle spasms 'not a big deal'; Carson Wentz won't play Thursday

PHILADELPHIA -- There's a chance the Eagles will be without their top two quarterbacks when they open exhibition play against the Pittsburgh Steelerson Thursday night.

Nick Foles has been sidelined for three straight practices with muscle spasms in his neck/trapezius area on his throwing side.

"It's not a big deal," Foles said after Tuesday's session. "We're just being smart."

Foles did not rule himself out for Thursday's game, calling the situation day-to-day.

Carson Wentz will be sitting this one out, coach Doug Pederson indicated.

"If he's not [taking part in team drills] in practice, you can figure that out," Pederson said.

With Wentz and Foles on the mend, backups Nate Sudfeld and Joe Callahan will see the bulk of the action Thursday night against Pittsburgh.

Wentz has not done 11-on-11 work since last Saturday. The team decided to scale back on his level of participation and keep him in a more controlled environment until he is medically cleared for contact, lowering the chance of a setback in his recovery from a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee.

He is currently green-lighted for individual and 7-on-7 work only. Pederson and Wentz suggested that the plan will not change next week, meaning Wentz is likely to remain limited heading into the second game of the preseason against the New England Patriots.

"It can be a challenge, without a doubt" Wentz said of going long stretches during practice without getting reps. "It can definitely be a rhythm game, kind of get in that groove and everything, but that's the challenge I have right now."

Even so, Wentz looked as good as he has all summer on Tuesday. His arm was live and his passes on point, especially on back-to-back throws to receivers Mack Hollins and Greg Ward. Pederson contends there is progress being made behind the scenes, even though Wentz is not doing as much on the field at the moment.

"He has to approach it like it's game week," Pederson said of keeping Wentz sharp despite limited action. "And I just keep talking to him that way, [quarterbacks coach] Press Taylor keeps talking to him that way, [offensive coordinator] Mike Groh keeps talking to him that way. We're not going to let anything slide, from his decision-making to accuracy of throws, feeling the pocket even though it's 7-on-7, timing, rhythm, all of that part of the game. So we keep talking to him and putting him in those situations."