Carson Wentz was held out of practice at Colts training camp on Friday with a foot injury and anything serious could be catastrophic for Indianapolis.
With the retirement of Philip Rivers, the Indianapolis Colts were forced to quickly pivot to try and find a winning quarterback to join a roster that is built to compete in the AFC right now. They landed on the option of reuniting head coach Frank Reich with Carson Wentz via trade. Yes, there is a bit of a reclamation project ahead for Wentz but the upside is clearly present.
For anything, be it positive or negative, to happen with Wentz on the Colts, though, the quarterback has to be on the field. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. As reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Wentz was held out of practice on Friday at training camp after suffering a foot injury late in practice on Thursday.
The concerning part, however, is that there is reportedly an indefinite timetable for Wentz’s return to the field as he undergoes further testing. Not to read too much into it but that language seemingly opens up the possibility that this injury is something serious. And in that case, the Colts could be in trouble.
The Colts don’t have a sure thing with Carson Wentz but they have very little chance otherwise.
As mentioned, what we last saw from Carson Wentz with the Eagles does not give any indication that he could come in and be a top-half starting quarterback in the league. But with Reich and a quarterback-friendly offense, there is a clear path to him finding his NFL footing once again and the Colts competing in the conference.
If the foot injury for Wentz is serious, though, things could get dire quite quickly for Indianapolis. They have 2020 fourth-round pick Jacob Eason and rookie Sam Ehlinger on the depth chart behind Wentz. Eason has a huge arm but, coming into the league, still had an uphill climb with development to be an effective NFL quarterback. In the case of Ehlinger, he too has a long way to go from what we saw at Texas to believe he can lead a successful pro offense.
Make no mistake, the Colts roster is in fantastic shape on the whole. They have a defense that has a few stars with DeForest Buckner and Darius Leonard along with a strong scheme and young, budding standout performers. Meanwhile, the offensive line is among the best in the NFL and the skill position players are reliable.
Without a quarterback, though, an NFL team’s ceiling immediately becomes extremely limited. And in the case of Indianapolis, if they don’t have Wentz on the field due tot his injury, they don’t have an answer at quarterback on the roster that they can feel confident in.