Carson Wentz will start at quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings when they visit the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, coach Kevin O’Connell said, setting up a reunion between Wentz and the team that drafted him No. 2 overall in 2016.
Wentz, who began the season as a backup, will make his fourth straight start while J.J. McCarthy continues to recover from an ankle injury suffered in Week 2. Rookie Max Brosmer will serve as the backup against the Eagles, with McCarthy designated as the emergency third quarterback.
“I thought [Carson] had a good week of practice, as well as J.J.,” O’Connell told reporters on Friday. “I was really proud of the work [J.J.] put in, as he kind of continues to push through the later stages of this rehab. Feel good about him being available but he will be the emergency third quarterback. We went into the last game with two (QBs) and didn’t quite feel like that was the smartest thing to do – and feel good about where he’d be at if he had to play in that third quarterback capacity. So Max [Brosmer] will back up Carson Wentz.”
The 32-year-old Wentz has gone 2-1 since taking over as the Vikings starter, completing 69% of his passes for 759 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions.
Sunday’s matchup will mark Wentz’s first start in Philadelphia since his departure following the 2020 season, when the Eagles traded him to Indianapolis. He did play against the visiting Eagles in 2022 when he was a member of the Washington Commanders. Wentz completed 25 of 43 passes for 211 yards during a 24-8 loss.
Wentz also had brief stints with the Colts, Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs before signing with Minnesota in the offseason.
The Vikings are coming off their bye week after opening the season 3-2. The Eagles (4-2), meanwhile, look to avoid a third consecutive loss after starting the season 4-0.