Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 14 last season, at which point he easily could’ve checked out and distanced himself from the team.

Instead, Wentz remained involved in the Eagles’ Super Bowl run and gained more respect from his teammates along the way.

Safety Malcolm Jenkins thinks Wentz showed his true character in how he acted after tearing his ACL and LCL in the stretch run of a phenomenal year for himself and the team.

“I think you learn a lot about people when they have nothing to gain in a situation. So with Carson being out and the team still moving on and having success without him, for him to still be engaged, still be involved, still be contributing and wanting to contribute, I think says a lot about his character,” Jenkins said at offseason workouts on Tuesday. “I know he’s been itching to get back healthy so that he can compete and be a part of the team and what we’re doing.

“But I know a lot of guys gained an awful amount of respect for him for staying engaged. Because quite frankly, being in the league as long as I have, a lot of the times even the best meaning people, when they can’t be involved in it sometimes check out.”

The veteran leader recognizes how big of a deal Wentz’s post-injury involvement was. Jenkins is going into his 10th year in the NFL. He’s seen plenty of players go on injured reserve and then fade into the background.

But Wentz is a different breed. He’s truly obsessed with football and has shown to be an involved leader in only his second season.

“Carson and I have worked together this entire year, and he’s a huge reason why we’re in this position,” Wentz’s replacement, Nick Foles, said after the Eagles defeated the Vikings for the NFC championship. “It’s been awesome just being around him. He’s handled this thing amazingly and he continues to be such a great leader in our locker room.”

Despite his potential MVP season being shortened and having to watch his team win the Super Bowl without him, Wentz remained an excellent teammate. The Eagles clearly have a special player leading their team.