He didn’t want to just find a way to get healthy. He wanted to find a way to stay healthy.
On Day 1 of Eagles OTAs, Carson Wentz was a full participant, practiced without a brace, threw the ball effortlessly, ran fluidly and looked for all the world like the healthy quarterback the Eagles desperately need him to be.
It’s been a long time coming for Wentz, who missed the Eagles’ playoff runs with injuries in 2017 and 2018.
And wants to do everything in his power to lower the chances of it happening again.
“I’m trying to transform my body a little bit this offseason and I think I’ve seen a lot of development there for me personally,” he said. “And I think that’ll help going forward as far as staying healthy and longevity and everything.”
Wentz said nobody really suggested a new focus on nutrition, diet and health, but he kept hearing other athletes talk about it.
So during his latest layoff and during this offseason, he started looking into changes he could make toward living a healthier lifestyle.
“Just looking at nutrition and different training techniques and really kind of diving into every aspect, any advantage I could find,” Wentz said after practice Tuesday. “I really went into this offseason and just (focused on) A) getting healthy but B) what it can look like to stay healthy."
Wentz has the ninth-most TD passes, the third-best interception ratio and the ninth-highest completion percentage in NFL history by a quarterback in his first three seasons.
But that means nothing if he’s not on the field in December, January and — hopefully — February.
“You see other guys doing it so I always was curious,” Wentz said. “It’s something that after (last) season, I’m like, ‘OK, how can I ultimately not just get healthy and get past this but just be a healthier individual going forward for my career?’ So I just dove into it."
Wentz joked that maybe one day he’ll write a book about nutrition, a reference to Tom Brady’s “The TB12 Method,” which covers things such as diet and nutrition.
But the reality is that Brady hasn’t missed a game because of an injury since 2008 and has been healthy in 18 of his 19 NFL seasons.
Wentz is 25 and has already suffered more season-ending injuries than the 41-year-old Brady.
“Obviously, a guy like Tom — and you see other athletes and they have their method — they find what works for them, and nutrition and diet and sleep and all those things are a big part of it,” he said. “So for me that’s something I’ve really been looking at this offseason and I think you’ll see benefits and hopefully add years to (my) career.”
Wentz was typically vague when pressed for details about his new regimen, but he did allow that a focus on stretching and flexibility is a big part of it.
“I’m not going to go into all the specifics, but (it includes) stretching and flexibility,” he said. “I feel good. I feel strong. I feel quick. And I think some of those things are paying off.”
Wentz has started only 25 games over the last two years, and 18 quarterbacks have started more.
In the near future, the Eagles are going to give Wentz a long-term contract presumably worth more than $30 million per year.
He has to stay healthy.
And he knows it.
And he feels more prepared than ever to prove that he can.
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