PHILADELPHIA -- When Eagles coach Doug Pederson told a group of reporters last month that rookie quarterback Carson Wentz would likely be inactive on game days when the season begins, it didn’t sound to these ears like a major revelation.

Pederson already had announced that Sam Bradford would be the Eagles' No. 1 quarterback going into the season. The Eagles signed Bradford to a two-year, $35 million contract earlier this year. That money spoke as loudly as Pederson’s words.

The three-year, $21-million contract given to Chase Daniel was just as clear a message: Daniel was brought here to be the No. 2 quarterback.

That leaves only one spot for Wentz, the quarterback the Eagles traded up to take with the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft.

This week, when the media began to use the quotes from Pederson's June session, several outlets made a headline of Pederson's comments.

“Typically, the third quarterback is down,” Pederson said. “It’s hard right now to look down the road, but if we had to play this week, Carson would be down. He’d be the third quarterback. He’d be deactivated.

“That’s probably the direction we’re heading, I would think, is going that route. Obviously, barring injury and, as you know, how this game is, but typically the third quarterback, whoever that is, is down on game day.”

That hardly seems earthshaking, as it is essentially what Pederson has been saying all along. But the implications of Pederson’s plan are worth discussion, because they do represent a change from Pederson’s acknowledged model for developing Wentz.

In 1999, when Donovan McNabb was the Eagles' rookie quarterback, NFL rules were slightly different. On game days, teams could dress three quarterbacks. One was designated the third, inactive quarterback. That QB could play only if both of the other QBs were injured. Once he entered the game, the other two quarterbacks were not allowed to return.

Andy Reid’s approach was for Pederson to be the starting quarterback. McNabb was the No. 2 quarterback. Koy Detmer was typically the inactive No. 3 quarterback.

The reason for that? Reid wanted to give McNabb playing time in small doses. McNabb made his debut in the Eagles' second game of the season, against Tampa Bay. McNabb completed 4 of 11 passes for 36 yards.

Overall, McNabb got playing time in six of the games Pederson started. He completed 22 of 51 passes for 166 yards and one interception.

So McNabb had some on-field experience to draw on when he became the starting quarterback in a Week 10 game against Washington. That was Reid’s plan all along, and he stuck with it. Start Pederson, bring McNabb along slowly, then make the switch when the time was right.

The change in rules throws a wrench into the works for Pederson as coach. Teams can dress as many quarterbacks as they want, but they all count against the 45-man game-day roster. There are no limitations on when or how they play.

So Pederson could dress Bradford, Daniel and Wentz and mix and match them as he wished. But that roster spot would leave the Eagles short-handed at another position, an expensive price to pay in order to dress a rookie No. 3 quarterback.

Under the current rules, it makes sense for Bradford to be the starter and for Daniel to dress as his backup. Given Bradford’s history of injury, it is reasonable to expect the backup to step in during a game. Daniel, who spent three years learning Pederson’s offense in Kansas City, would give the Eagles the best chance to win a game under those circumstances.

At some point, Pederson is likely to decide that he wants to ease Wentz into game action. At that point, he would have to decide whether to designate Daniel as inactive or dress all three quarterbacks. The other possibility, of course, is an injury to Bradford that would leave Daniel and Wentz as the only two quarterbacks. In that case, both could dress for games.