Wentz to play most of second half Thursday night

Doug Pederson announced the playing schedule for his quarterbacks in Thursday's preseason opener at the Linc against Tampa Bay, and to no one's surprise, the Eagles coach said Sam Bradford will start and divvy up the first half in a still-undetermined way with backup Chase Daniel.

Carson Wentz will take the bulk of the snaps in the second half, with the team's No. 4 quarterback, McLeod Bethel-Thompson, possibly playing a series or two in the fourth quarter.

Wentz said "a number'' of family and friends from North Dakota will be there for his pro debut Thursday.

"It's real exciting,'' he said. "It's been a long time coming. I'm excited to play at the Linc, playing in front of these fans and finally getting my opportunity.''

Pederson has repeatedly said that his plan is for Wentz, who was the second overall pick in the draft, to spend the entire year as the team's inactive third quarterback, behind Bradford and Daniel.

Whether that ends up being the way it plays out will depend on a lot of things, including Bradford's health and the Eagles' win-loss record.

Bradford flew home to Oklahoma City right after practice on Monday to attend to a family issue. Pederson said he excused him from team activities today and tomorrow, which already was a scheduled day off for the players.

He said Bradford definitely will be back in time for the game Thursday.

On the injury front, Pederson said wide receiver Jordan Matthews "still is a couple of weeks away'' from returning from the knee injury he suffered in Friday's practice when he was hit by cornerback Jalen Mills. Pederson said there is no structural damage to the knee, but acknowledged the possibility that Matthews might not play at all in the preseason.

Linebacker Mychal Kendricks left practice with a hamstring issue. Kendricks missed three games and parts of two others last year with a hamstring injury.

Pederson also said that left tackle Jason Peters (quad) and safety Malcolm Jenkins (hamstring) are day to day and won't play against the Bucs.

"I fully expect them to return at some point next week,'' he said. "Probably get ready for the second game [against Pittsburgh].''