Can Foles' play convince the Eagles to keep him instead of Wentz next season?

PHILADELPHIA — So, you wonder.

Nick Foles has led four Eagles victories in four games since taking over at quarterback for Carson Wentz, who's out with a stress fracture in his back.

What happens if Foles leads the Eagles to another win this Sunday against the New Orleans Saints in the NFL Divisional Round of the playoffs? Or the following Sunday in the NFC Championship game? Or two weeks later in the Super Bowl?

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Would that be enough for the Eagles to decide to keep him as the starting quarterback next season, and perhaps trade Wentz? Head coach Doug Pederson has insisted all along Wentz would be the starter once he's healthy.

Foles is 9-1 starting for the Eagles in December and the playoffs last season and this. The only loss was a meaningless 2017 regular-season finale in which Foles was out of the game before halftime.

The wins, of course, included the Super Bowl last season, when Foles was named the game's MVP, and the 16-15 victory over the Chicago Bears last Sunday in the NFC wildcard playoffs in which Foles led the Eagles to the game-winning touchdown with 56 seconds left.

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Pederson was asked if Foles would be the starter as long as the Eagles are in the playoffs.

"This week," Pederson said. "It’s a one-and-done season right now."

So if the Eagles are true to their word that Wentz will be the starter as soon as he's healthy, most likely not until the offseason, then Foles will likely have to go elsewhere next season if he wants to be a starter.

The Eagles aren't likely to pay Foles $20 million, as his 2019 contract calls for, to be a backup. Foles could "buy" his freedom for $2 million and thus become a free agent. That is, unless the Eagles pick up the option, then try to trade him.

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Either way, there should be quarterback-needy teams lining up to get Foles, beginning with Jacksonville, Miami, the Giants if they decide to move on from Eli Manning, and Washington if the team determines that Alex Smith won't be ready to play next season after suffering a gruesome broken leg.

Good luck trying to get Foles to talk about that.

"I don't worry about it," Foles said Wednesday. "I've told y'all before that the future, that'll take care of itself. If I worried about that right now, I wouldn't be able to really focus in and enjoy the present. There are plenty of things to focus on right now preparing for the Saints and just getting the body, mind and everything ready for this game.

"I'm just focused on being here, being the best teammate I can be, and preparing for this Sunday's game."

As for Wentz, we don't know how he would do in a playoff setting because he's never gotten the chance to show what he can do because of the injuries.

Wentz hasn't done any football activity since Foles replaced him after the Dec. 9 game against the Cowboys, a 29-23 Eagles loss in overtime. Pederson wouldn't commit to Wentz practicing this week, either.

At first, Pederson didn't rule out Wentz serving as the backup this Sunday, saying "I’m not ready to make that decision yet." But then he said Nate Sudfeld will be the backup, as he has been the previous four games, getting into two of those games when Foles' ribs were injured.

"As far as his health, I mean, yeah, he is getting better," Pederson said. "He is getting better. As far as practice, I mean, right now, he’s still resting. And until we get the OK from the docs, we’ll keep going as we’re going."

The Eagles invested a No. 2 overall pick in Wentz in the 2016 draft. They have also seen Wentz play like a franchise quarterback last season, when he was the frontrunner for the NFL's MVP award last season until he tore two knee ligaments against the Rams on Dec. 10.

This season, the Eagles also saw some good things from Wentz, such as his 69.6 percent completion percentage and his 102.2 passer rating, both better than what Wentz had done in 2017.

But the Eagles also saw some bad moments, as evidenced by their 5-6 record with Wentz at quarterback this season. At times, it seemed like he was much less mobile than the season before. That may or may not have been related to both the recovery from knee surgery and the back issues, which technically began in late October.

The Eagles had scored just three times in the first quarter in the 11 games under Wentz. They have done so in each game since Foles took over.

Pederson was asked if that's a reflection on Foles, Wentz, or just a coincidence.

"The execution is better," Pederson said. "I think guys are just detailing their work a little bit better as we go. It takes a little time. We've had some different offensive linemen in there. Running backs are different a little bit as the season went on. We have a little more stability there. I think the guys have really embraced (their roles) and made the changes to stay on the field."

None of this can be easy for Wentz, watching from the sidelines for a second straight playoff season.

So Eagles offensive coordinator Mike Groh was asked if he has to talk to Wentz, to reassure him about the future considering the "muddled" situation at quarterback.

"It's muddled in what way?" Groh responded.

The questioner answered that it's muddled because Foles has done so well and Wentz "is out of view and almost out of mind."

"Oh, I don't think so," Groh said. "Yeah, we're not dismissing Carson around here. Like we just talked about, he's really involved on a daily basis. He's in a supporting role right now due to his injury, and he's trying to heal up and get himself ready to go.

"We've got a lot of confidence in Carson and the kind of player he is, and right now, he's just being a really good teammate."

And then what?

Injury update

The Eagles, as they've done the last three weeks, had a walkthrough practice Wednesday rather than a full practice on the field. Pederson said CB Sidney Jones (hamstring), LB D.J. Alexander (hamstring) and WR Mike Wallace (ankle) are considered "day to day" and might do more work than they did last week.

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.