Eagles' Pederson will make QB decision Friday, won't publicly reveal starter

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson is apparently taking gamesmanship to new heights heading into the 2018 season.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Pederson revealed he would make the decision on the team's Week 1 starting quarterback Friday, but indicated he won't make his choice public until "90 minutes before kickoff," per NJ.com's Zack Rosenblatt.

"This is still preseason and we're giving all of our quarterbacks reps at this time," Pederson said. "Obviously when you get into the regular season and you start game-planning you want whoever that gentleman is going to be to get that full complement of reps."

Just nine days before Philadelphia's season opener against the Atlanta Falcons, Pederson's timeline places starting quarterback Carson Wentz in a race against the clock to be medically cleared from his torn left ACL.

Pederson announced Tuesday that Wentz has yet to be cleared for contact. He and Nick Foles have been splitting first-team reps in recent practices, where the coach has seen noticeable improvement from his star passer.

"(Wentz's) arm was live and he was throwing some nice throws, really strong," Pederson said. "When he came back into 11 on 11s, one of the noticeable changes was his lower-body strength and how well he's progressed through his rehab and conditioning."

If Wentz is not cleared by the end of the week, Foles will be the Eagles' starter against the Falcons. The reigning Super Bowl MVP has struggled mightily this preseason.