Carson Wentz left practice this week with a foot injury, but the Indianapolis Colts are hopeful that he will be healthy enough to play in Week 1.
Wentz, who suffered the injury on Thursday, was evaluated by a foot specialist over the weekend. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the plan is for the veteran quarterback to rest and rehab rather than undergo a surgical procedure. If all goes well, he should be cleared for Week 1.
However, Rapoport notes that Wentz may need surgery if the foot does not improve. It’s unclear how long he would be out if he is forced to go that route.
Wentz has six weeks to get healthy before the start of the regular season. It’s obviously a concern that he is in his first season with the Colts. Wentz is trying to prove he is still capable of winning games as an NFL starter and needs all the reps he can get.
Wentz arrived in Indy via a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason. He has been reunited Frank Reich, who served as the offensive coordinator with the Eagles when Wentz was an MVP candidate. Wentz recently explained why the trade has reignited his passion for football. The Colts are hoping he can still serve as their starter when the season begins.
Carson Wentz left practice on Thursday with a foot injury, and the Indianapolis Colts quarterback may need to undergo a minor surgical procedure.
The Colts are sending Wentz to be evaluated by foot specialist Robert Anderson, according to Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. It’s possible that Wentz could need a minor surgical procedure, but he is not expected to miss many games, if any.
Wentz has six weeks to get healthy before the start of the regular season. The Colts will likely play it safe with him until then, but it is an obvious concern that he is in his first season with the team. Wentz is trying to prove he is still capable of winning games as an NFL starter. He needs all the reps he can get.
Wentz arrived in Indy via a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason. He has been reunited Frank Reich, who served as the offensive coordinator with the Eagles when Wentz was an MVP candidate. Wentz recently explained why the trade has reignited his passion for football. The Colts are hoping he can avoid surgery and return sooner rather than later.
Carson Wentz sat out practice with the Indianapolis Colts on Friday due to a foot injury, and it is unclear when the quarterback will be able to return.
Wentz will undergo further testing on his foot and be held out indefinitely, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Mike Wells. Second-year quarterback Jacob Eason took first-team reps on Friday with rookie Sam Ehlinger serving as his backup.
The Colts could be simply playing it safe with Wentz, but it is never a good sign when your starting quarterback is out indefinitely during training camp. Wentz needs all the reps he can get this offseason as he tries to prove he can get his career back on track. Any time he misses could be a major issue heading into the season.
Wentz arrived in Indy via a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason. He has been reunited Frank Reich, who served as the offensive coordinator with the Eagles when Wentz was an MVP candidate. Wentz recently explained why the trade has reignited his passion for football.
Carson Wentz certainly sounds optimistic that his trade to the Indianapolis Colts is just what he needed for the sake of his career.
Wentz said his trade from Philadelphia to Indianapolis reignited his passion for football, and his up-and-down career path has readied him for this challenge.
“I really feel like I have a new passion for the game,” Wentz recently told Valley News Live, via Jonathan X. Simmons of the Indianapolis Star. “I’ve been high, I’ve been injured, I’ve been, now, benched, I’ve been traded, I’ve kinda seen a lot in five years, so whatever the game throws at me I’m ready.”
This is certainly what the Colts are hoping for. Wentz has played at a high level in the NFL before, but Wentz in 2020 bore little resemblance to the MVP candidate he was in 2017. Indianapolis is betting they can help him rediscover that form, though he might have to adjust some of his own habits to make that happen.
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver TY Hilton was once a consistent 1,000-yard receiver, but he’s failed to hit that mark in three of the last four seasons. Despite that, Hilton appears to have some hope of things changing for 2021.
Hilton said Monday that he’s looking forward to more deep shots from new quarterback Carson Wentz, adding that he is impressed with Wentz’s arm strength and is excited about what they’ve already worked on together.
Every one of Hilton’s 1,000-yard seasons came with quarterback Andrew Luck throwing to him. He dipped below the thousand yard mark in 2017, when Luck missed the year with a shoulder injury. He hasn’t hit the mark since Luck’s abrupt retirement, struggling to develop the same rapport with Jacoby Brissett and Philip Rivers. That’s shown in his longest receptions for the year. With Luck, the number was routinely over 70 yards, but his longest reception in the last two years has been a 50-yarder in 2020.
Injuries have been an issue for Hilton as well as the inconsistent quarterback play. The hope is that pairing Wentz with Frank Reich could breathe new life into the quarterback’s career, which would benefit receivers like Hilton as well. Maybe that’s part of why Hilton apparently turned down some extra cash to remain in Indianapolis.
Photo: Jeffrey Beall/Wikimedia via CC-BY 4.0
There are many people who believe the Philadelphia Eagles should have tried to make things work with Carson Wentz rather than replacing him with Jalen Hurts, but few feel more strongly about it than ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.
Kiper has been very outspoken in criticizing the Eagles for trading Wentz. He reiterated his thoughts on Tuesday’s edition of “Get Up!” and ripped Philly for making the deal. Kiper also unloaded on the Chicago Bears for not making a real effort to acquire Wentz.
“A ridiculously stupid move is the way to sum it up,” Kiper said. “Even dumber than that was the Bears not giving up the 20th overall pick and (a third-rounder) and trying to get Carson Wentz. … Carson Wentz is a young man, who is a proven MVP guy, who did things in three years that very few NFL quarterbacks have done.”
Kiper attributed Wentz’s struggles last season to all the injuries the Eagles had on offense.
“The injuries were catastrophic,” he added. “(Not all teams) have catastrophic injuries to offensive linemen before the season even begins — receivers, tight ends, running back — and we’re gonna blame the quarterback and send him packing for virtually nothing? This was, again, one of the most ridiculously stupid moves probably in the history of the NFL.”
The Colts traded a third-round pick and a conditional second-rounder that could turn into a first for Wentz. Kiper felt that was an “early Christmas present” for Indianapolis head coach Frank Reich.
Kiper was high on Wentz when Wentz was coming out of North Dakota State in 2016, and apparently his opinion has not changed much. There have been some reports that called Wentz’s work ethic with the Eagles into question, but Kiper clearly is not buying them. Time will tell if his enthusiasm about the trade is warranted.
Carson Wentz has a new jersey number after being shutdown by a teammate.
Wentz will be wearing jersey No. 2 with the Indianapolis Colts. The news was first shared by Eagles fan/huge Wentz fan, Giovanni the Philly Sports Podcaster.
The Colts confirmed the change by sharing a photo of Wentz on Twitter with No. 2 on his jersey.
Wentz wore No. 11 in his first five NFL seasons, all spent with the Philadelphia Eagles. But that number was already worn by Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who wanted to keep the digits, leading Wentz to pick something new.
Now it will be a new team, new era, and new number for Wentz. It’s a perfect chance for him to start fresh in Indy. He already seems to be making some progress with his new teammates too.
Carson Wentz is already getting to work with some of his new teammates.
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. shared a photo on his Instagram account Saturday. The photo showed him with teammates Wentz and Dezmon Patmon. The trio apparently were working out together in California.
Pittman’s comment about the post indicates he is expecting big things from Wentz.
“Can’t wait to see this guy in Lucas Oil, gonna be a show” he wrote.
Wentz had a poor season last year for the Eagles, which led the team to trade him to the Colts. But in 2017, Wentz was a Pro Bowler and MVP candidate until suffering a torn ACL. In 2019, he passed for 4,039 yards, 27 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. The talent is still there. It will be up to Frank Reich and players like Pittman to try and bring the best out of Wentz.
This photo also signifies we can probably put this controversy to rest.
Jason Peters has spent the last 12 years of his career with the Eagles, so there are few players in NFL history who are more familiar with the challenges that come along with playing in Philadelphia. The way Peters sees it, those challenges may have ultimately run Carson Wentz out of town.
During a Thursday appearance on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football,” Peters was asked why things didn’t work out for Wentz in Philly. He spoke about how difficult it is to play in a demanding city.
“Nothing really went wrong on that. He was just in Philadelphia,” Peters said, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. “It’s a hard city to play for. … You gotta bring it every year or Philadelphia will eat you up.”
Wentz would likely disagree. While Eagles fans called for him to be benched last year when he was struggling, he never made it seem like he felt too much pressure playing in Philly. Rather, it sounds like Wentz had significant issues with his head coach and didn’t trust the coaching staff.
There were also some unflattering reports about Wentz not being a great leader. That could be the type of thing Peters is referring to, as the media is notoriously tougher in cities like Philadelphia, New York, Boston and Chicago.
Whatever the case, Wentz wanted a fresh start. Peters has been around long enough to know how a disgruntled quarterback can make a team implode. If the QB wants out, the reasons don’t really matter.
Carson Wentz is beginning a new chapter of his career with the Indianapolis Colts, and he will apparently be doing it with a new jersey number.
Wentz wore No. 11 with the Philadelphia Eagles and in college at North Dakota State. That number is currently worn by Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who is entering his second season with the team. In a recent interview with TMZ, Pittman said he did not want to give up No. 11 for Wentz and the quarterback was very understanding.
“I spoke with him, and he was just seeing how locked in I was to No. 11 and I told him I was locked in,” Pittman said. “He was like, ‘That’s cool, bro, because I’m probably gonna switch anyway,’ so it went really well.”
Pittman had nothing but positive things to say about Wentz. He praised the QB for not trying to pressure him to give up the number.
“He didn’t try to press me or anything like that. He asked me very respectfully, and I just appreciated him for that,” Pittman added. “Lots of guys with his status would come in and demand it and stuff like that. I just think he’s a really great dude, and I get to keep 11, so it was a win for me.”
Wentz is coming off a horrible season, and many people have given up on him. He may like the idea of a fresh start with a new number. He also hasn’t really accomplished enough in his career to justify demanding No. 11 with a new team, though it’s somewhat surprising that Pittman isn’t willing to negotiate.
We have seen players pay some steep prices for jersey numbers in the past, but Wentz obviously doesn’t feel strongly enough about No. 11.
