On Thursday, the Philadelphia Eagles decided to part ways with their disgruntled quarterback, Carson Wentz, by trading him to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2021 third-round pick and a conditional second-round pick that could potentially become a first-rounder. Wentz, a former 2016 first-round pick taken second overall that year by the Eagles, set multiple NFL and Eagles rookie records in his first season with the team (most pass attempts and completions). In 2017, Wentz was having an MVP season with 33 passing touchdowns, leading the Eagles to an 11-2 record before he suffered a season-ending left ACL injury.
That year, Wentz still got a Super Bowl ring despite not winning the MVP award. Led by backup quarterback Nick Foles, Philly won Super Bowl LII 41-33 over the New England Patriots, to earn the franchise’s first championship in history. Three years ago doesn’t seem too long when Wentz was considered one of the top QBs in the NFL. He now gets a fresh start in Indy to be a starter and possibly resurrect his career by putting up similar numbers like he did during his tenure with the Eagles. Let’s take a look at why Carson Wentz is a good fit for the Colts and how him being reunited with head coach, Frank Reich, helps make the team better moving forward.
This past season, the Indianapolis Colts made it to the AFC playoffs where they were eliminated in the Super Wild Card round by the Buffalo Bills 24-27. Despite the loss, there are a lot of things to like about this Colts team. They have a strong offensive line, solid weapons at the skill positions (WR and RB) and a top 10 defense. These things alone make this team built to win now, as all they’ve been missing, since Andrew Luck’s stunning retirement announcement back in August of 2019, is a long-term franchise QB.
Looking at the free agent and draft landscape, trading for Wentz was easily their best option. Head coach Frank Reich, who was the Eagles offensive coordinator from 2016-2017 while Wentz was there, helped him put up some of the best statistical numbers of his career. As I mentioned earlier, in 2017, Wentz threw 33 touchdown passes that year to only seven interceptions, while also averaging 7.5 yards-per-pass-attempt. Since 2018, when Reich left Philly to become a head coach in Indy, Wentz has thrown 64 touchdown passes vs 29 interceptions, with a 6.7 yards-per-pass-attempt average. Last season, Wentz was also sacked an NFL-high 50 times, which shouldn’t happen with the Colts, who have one of the league’s best offensive lines.
The 28-year-old quarterback will also have plenty of young weapons to throw the ball to in a familiar offense in which he’s guaranteed the starting job. Playing in Indy also helps Wentz not have to deal with such an aggressive fan base and media market like he did before in Philly. Having all this, and the presence of Frank Reich back with whom he has a good personal relationship with, should help improve Wentz’s play and confidence moving forward. If Wentz can return to top form, then there’s no reason not to believe that the Indianapolis Colts will be Super Bowl contenders for years to come and challenge teams like the Kansas City Chiefs.
However, if Wentz doesn’t work out for them, then they didn’t have to give up a top pick because the 2022 pick the team lost to the Eagles won’t turn into a first-rounder. The Colts also need to find a replacement on their offensive line at the left tackle position since 10-year pro Anthony Castonzo just retired. All in all, we’ll see what the short and long term future holds for the team, but trading for Carson Wentz was a good move that should help them out immediately.
