Former Hoosier Nate Sudfeld injured in Eagles' preseason game
Nate Sudfeld's NFL season got off to a rocky start Thursday night when he broke his left wrist during the Philadelphia Eagles' preseason game against the Tennessee Titans. The injury will require surgery on Friday.
Here's the complete story from my Maven/Sports Illustrated colleague Ed Kracz. (Shameless Maven/SI plug: We now have all 32 NFL staffed, so flip around the mavensports.io site for great content around the league.)
Sudfeld, who played at Indiana from 2012 to 2015 and had plenty of magical moments, started the game for the Eagles and was playing great before he got hurt. He completed 10 of his 18 passes for 175 yards and a score. He had a 75-yard touchdown pass that was a thing of beauty. Here's the video:
Sudfeld was in line to be the Eagles' backup quarterback to Carson Wentz this season after Super Bowl-winning reserve Nick Foles left for Jacksonville. This injury is a huge setback for him, since he hasn't really had the opportunity to play yet in meaningful regular-season games. Sudfeld has played in the final two games of the regular season the past two years, but that's it.
“It’s not season-ending so we’re excited about that and after surgery we’ll have more of an update for you, probably Saturday,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said after the game. “We’re comfortable with Cody (Kessler) and obviously get Clayton (Thorson) more work.”
Former Indiana quarterback Nate Sudfeld was having a big night for the Eagles before breaking his left wrist on Thursday night. (Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)
Because it's his left wrist, Sudfeld should be able to return to the Eagles in fairly short order. Once the extent of the break is determined on Friday, a better timetable might be in place.
It's really too bad he went down on the first night of NFL preseason games. This was going to be his opportunity to make some noise this year, because Eagles starter Wentz hasn't been able to finish either of the past two seasons. Peterson and the Eagles really like Sudfeld, and they were confident in going to battle with him if Wentz went down.
Jordan Howard, Sudfeld's former teammate at IU for a season, saw limited action in the game for the Eagles. He had just three carries for 8 yards while the starters watched most of the game from the sidelines.
Former IU teammates Jordan Howard (left) and Nate Sudfeld are now both with the Philadelphia Eagles. (Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports)
There are currently 16 players in NFL camp. Here's a complete rundown on who's where.
