Carson Wentz out 'indefinitely' as Colts quarterback injures foot

07/31/2021

Carson Wentz out ‘indefinitely’ as luckless Indianapolis Colts quarterback injures foot in practice

Carson Wentz injured his foot in practice and is out ‘indefinitely’
Wentz was traded to Indianapolis after his career tailed off in Philadephia
The No 2 overall pick in the 2016 draft has had an injury-cursed career
In his second season, he led the Eagles to 11-2 but missed the Super Bowl run
The 28-year-old hasn’t been the same since tearing the ACL in his left knee

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz is out ‘indefinitely’ and may need minor surgery on an injured foot.

Wentz joined the Colts in March after a trade with Philadelphia in the hope that he could get his career back on track.

But the second overall pick of the 2016 draft was injured in Thursday practice and has missed Friday’s session to undergo medical attention.

‘He’s been with the docs. They’re trying to figure out what the [injury] is. They’re still evaluating what the next move is and how bad it is and then we’ll go from there,’ said offensive coordinator Marcus Brady.

‘We should know something shortly.’

Carson Wentz gets used to his new surroundings on Thursday before his latest injury

ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Mike Wells broke the story. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport added that Wentz may need to go under the knife after visiting foot specialist Robert Anderson.

After the Colts let Jacoby Brissett walk in the offseason, Wentz was replaced by second year quarterback Jacob Eason.

‘We just want to continue to get him reps,’ said Brady said when asked about Eason. ‘He made some good plays, he made some bad plays, and we need to make sure that he’s learning from those mistakes.’

The Colts are said to be optimistic that Wentz will recover in time for the season opener against Seattle on September 12 – but if he is to miss a significant part of the season, there are a number of options.

Nick Foles knows a thing or two about stepping in for Wentz and working under Frank Reich. He is currently third on the Chicago Bears depth chart behind Andy Dalton and Justin Fields.

Marcus Mariota is playing second fiddle to Derek Carr in Law Vegas while Gardner Minshew has also been usurped by No 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville.

Elsewhere, Jimmy Garoppolo was widely touted for a trade in the offseason and the arrival of Trey Lance in the draft did little to suggest San Francisco see him as their franchise quarterback.

Nick Foles, now in Chicago, replaced Wentz for the Eagles’ magic carpet Super Bowl ride

Wentz, a favourite of head coach Reich, is only 28 but already has an unenviable injury history.

He led the Eagles to an 11-2 record and was an MVP-candidate in the 2017 season before a torn ACL in his left knee ended his season. Against all odds, back-up Foles duly led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl victory.

Wentz has been a shadow of that player since. Injuries to his ribs (2016), vertebrae (2018) and concussion (2020) have hampered his career.

Last season he was benched in December for rookie Jalen Hurts. He was sacked 50 times and threw a joint NFL-high 15 interceptions, despite playing only 11 games.

The Colts finished 11-5 and finished second in the AFC South, and lost in the wild card round to the Buffalo Bills in last season’s playoffs, the final game of Philip Rivers’ career.

Wentz moved to Indianapolis in exchange for a 2021 third-round pick and a conditional 2022 second-rounder.

The latter becomes a first-rounder if Wentz playing 75 per cent of offensive snaps in 2021, or 70 per cent if the Colts make the playoffs.

Wentz has had an injury-hit career and the latest blow is a significant one to Indy’s offseason

It continues a turbulent offseason for Indianapolis, who are already missing Reich after he tested positive for Covid-19 last week.

Center Ryan Kelly was diagnosed with a hyperextended elbow after an accidental collision with running back Marlon Mack and is expected to miss a fortnight.

The Colts also have four players – cornerbacks TJ Carrie and Xavier Rhodes, defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad and offensive tackle Julien Davenport – on the reserve/Covid-19 list.

Elsewhere, All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard has not practiced since having ankle surgery in June.

Newly-acquired left tackle Eric Fisher is still on the PUP list and defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo – their second round draft pick – is on the non-football injury list.

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