Eagles' Nick Foles still 'day-to-day' as roster cutdown looms

The Eagles planned for Nick Foles to be a spectator at games this season. They couldn't have expected he would spend most of his summer that way for practices, too.

Foles watched practice again  Sunday while the other three quarterbacks participated. Foles has a sore right elbow, which has sidelined him the entire preseason and almost all of training camp. He returned for two days of practice last week before the soreness reemerged. No decision has been made about whether he'll play in the preseason finale  Thursday against the New York Jets.

Coach Doug Pederson insisted that Foles was still "day-to-day," but he sounded optimistic about Foles' recovery and definitive about his availability for the Sept. 10 season-opener. The Eagles need clarity about Foles because they must pare the roster to 53 players next week before traveling to Washington the following weekend.

"It's getting better, obviously," Pederson said. "He'll be getting throwing again this week. Again, don't want to rush him back."

Asked if he's confident that Foles will be ready for Week 1, he answered, "I am." He also said the team is able to trust Foles, even though Foles believed he was past the elbow injury before last week's setback. Foles was unavailable for comment Sunday.

"These are, obviously, sensitive elbow issues," Pederson said. "Being on a throwing arm like that, [we] just want to make sure he's getting the proper amount of throws. That's why we're going to ease him back in again this week and get him ready for the regular season."

Even though Foles is not a starter, his status affects the makeup of  the roster. The Eagles kept only two quarterbacks  last year, allowing them to go deeper at a different position. If Foles' health is in question, the Eagles will need to carry three quarterbacks. Veteran Matt McGloin and rookie Dane Evans are the two quarterbacks behind Carson Wentz and Foles. (There was no evidence that the Eagles are considering an outside arm.)

Pederson said the uncertainty about Foles' elbow will not influence whether the Eagles keep two or three quarterbacks. That further suggests that the team is confident about Foles' condition, and that his current status is the result of caution. The problem is that what has been  said and what has happened regarding Foles have not always aligned this summer.

When Foles returned to practice on a limited basis  Aug. 14, he said his elbow felt "great." He thought the two weeks off at that point was the time needed to heal. He added that he learned from the experience and that a new training regimen would allow him to "maintain my arm for the rest of my career." It  became a problem  again in less than two weeks. Now the Eagles are focused on managing the elbow soreness, which is why they're resting him. Pederson indicated last week that if the Eagles were in the regular season, Foles would be healthy enough to play.

"You manage it by limiting some throws," Pederson said. "At the same time, we get to the regular season, you got to play with a little soreness and a little pain. Everybody's going to be in that situation all season long. [The] quarterback is no different. We've just got to continue to stay on top of his treatment, and make sure he's getting the right treatment, obviously, on that elbow.

"And [then] do what we can, even in practice, to make sure he's getting the right amount of reps where we're not taxing him, especially early in the season, where we're starting to build him back up to regular-season full."

The Eagles must hope that's the right solution. An absence that extends into the regular season would be a major problem for the Eagles.

Not having Foles would create a weakness for a position the Eagles need secure, considering last year was the first time since 2008 that they started only one quarterback. Plus, the Eagles absorbed $7 million in dead money by releasing Chase Daniel and guaranteed  Foles $7 million, making it a significant financial undertaking to bring Foles in. And keeping a third quarterback would be bad news for another position where the Eagles could keep a promising young player, such as wide receiver or the defensive line.

So right now, the Eagles can insist that it's not a big deal and that Foles will be ready for the regular season. The answer will be revealed by how many quarterbacks are on the roster at this time next week, and which quarterbacks are active on Week 1.