This Carson Wentz experiment isn’t off to a good start.
The former No. 2 overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft, who was dealt to the Colts in the offseason, will undergo surgery on his foot and will be sidelined for 5-12 weeks.
His head coach, Frank Reich, said that the injury in his foot could possibly go back as far as high school.
The Colts were hopeful that Wentz could return to form as the guy who was an MVP favorite in the middle of 2017, when he was reunited with Reich, who was Wentz’s offensive coordinator in Philadelphia during their Super Bowl season. It made sense for Indianapolis to take a chance on Wentz because they were in desperate need of a young, athletic quarterback that could make plays.
As good as Philip Rivers was in his last year before retirement, his lack of athleticism and arm strength was glaring at times when the Colts needed him to make a play. The team also got Wentz for a 2021 third-round pick and a conditional 2022 second-round pick, so it’s not like they used a lot of capital to get this man.
Indianapolis picked up Brett Hundley a few days ago in a bid to patch up their enormous gap at the QB position, but who knows if he’ll even be the starter with former Texas QB Sam Ehlinger, 2020 fourth-round pick Jacob Eason, and Prairie View A&M standout Jalen Morton in house. Then again, none of those three have ever thrown an NFL pass.
Some other notable options the Colts could target include the Bears’ Nick Foles, who is familiar with Reich’s system — and, fittingly Foles took over for Wentz and led Philly to a Super Bowl win over Tom Brady and New England. Maybe Gardner Minshew as well, if he doesn’t beat out Trevor Lawrence for the starting job in Jacksonville.
Wentz’s recovery timeline is broad, so this doesn’t automatically mean the end of Wentz’s season. However, it isn’t the start that Wentz or the Colts wanted to get off to.
Wentz is looking to prove that his horrendous performance in Philadelphia that resulted in him being benched for Jalen Hurts late in the season was an aberration. The Colts are one of the most complete teams in the league, but are missing the playmaker behind center that can transform them into a Super Bowl contender.
Wentz was once an MVP-level quarterback in 2017 before a knee injury ended his season. The Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl that season without him and he hasn’t been the same since.
This injury won’t do anything but complicate things for Wentz and the Colts. Wentz’s opportunity to prove he can be a legitimate starting option will have to wait.
Leave a Reply
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
