Eagles' Carson Wentz begins his second preseason looking for better experience than his first

Carson Wentz's first preseason with the Eagles lasted 39 plays. On Aug. 11 of last year, with Philadelphia fans eager to see their new franchise player in uniform for the first time, Wentz entered the preseason opener against Tampa Bay at Lincoln Financial Field as the No. 3 quarterback at the end of the second quarter.

He exited the game in the fourth quarter with sore ribs. Wentz learned two days later that he had  a hairline fracture, ending his summer after one game.

Wentz enters the preseason opener Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers in an entirely different situation. He will take the first offensive snap of the game. He won't play long – Sam Bradford played only three snaps in the opener last August – but he'll know he's getting ready for opening day and not for a third-string role.

"I think: Just go out there with these new faces in the huddle, get used to these guys, get used to game situations," Wentz said of his preseason priorities. "Just kind of get ready for Week 1."

That wasn't the case last year, when the probability was high that Wentz's most extended action would come in the preseason. Bradford would be traded before the season opener, but the context of last preseason was entirely different for Wentz from this year.

It's unclear whether Wentz will play with new top wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, whose status for the game is uncertain. But he'll still work with many of his targets for this season, continuing what has been an ongoing effort since the spring to improve the offense. He played with subs and marginal players  in the 2016 preseason.

For those fans who have not been invited into the NovaCare Complex for practice or attended the open practices at the stadium, the game will be the first chance to witness the improvements Wentz made in his fundamentals in the offseason.

Wentz is most eager to encounter game situations. The Eagles try to simulate them in practice – whether it's third down, red zone, two-minute offense – but even a limited number of plays  present variables that Wentz cannot account for on the practice field. So the preseason gives him a chance to respond to different downs and distances, to elude a live pass rush, to find his targets when the defense's call is unclear.

"Obviously out here we're wearing red jerseys, we can't get hit," Wentz said of the quarterbacks. "To finally just get that live action, get used to it again before Week 1 comes around, it'll be good for me and everybody."

But Wentz also must be careful. In the preseason opener last year, he flipped over a defender. Wentz wants to use his feet effectively this season, and practice does not always offer the chance to do so because he's off-limits for hits. If he's in a scrambling situation in the game, it will be real. Wentz vowed to avoid flips this summer. He also must avoid injuries.

"I don't think it's a concern," Wentz said. "If you're scared to get hurt, you won't play this game ultimately. I think the live pass rush will be good to go out there and start feeling some things. Obviously in practice, you try to make it game-like. You try to react the way you would. When you're live, things are different."

Offensive coordinator Frank Reich admitted that Wentz is not going to play "a ton" in the preseason. The value of an injury-free summer for Wentz is not the game action but the consistency of daily practices that he missed a year ago. In games, Reich wants to see Wentz have some success to build confidence entering the season.

For Wentz, the excitement of Thursday's game will go beyond a typical preseason opener. Growing up in North Dakota, Wentz was a Vikings fan. But his favorite player was Brett Favre, who played for the Packers from the time Wentz was born to past his 15th birthday. Most of Favre's memorable moments came at Lambeau Field.

"I'm excited for it," Wentz said. "I grew up a Favre fan … never been to Lambeau. It'll be a cool atmosphere."

But Wentz's Lambeau vantage point  Thursday will more closely resemble that of Doug Pederson – a former Packers backup – than Favre, who was on the tundra. So he's realistic about the experience, and his friends and family won't make the trek from North Dakota even though it would be the shortest  road trip of the season for them.

There will be more times to watch Wentz – and times when he plays more than Thursday. Packers starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers is not even expected to take the field. Wentz is not yet at that status, but the Eagles must hope Wentz's preseason opener ends better than his last one.

"I think they're a big part of development," Wentz said of the preseason games. "Obviously I missed a lot of it last year. But just for everybody to get back in the swing of things, get used to the contact, the routine, that's a big part of it."