News broke today that Carson Wentz would be traded from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2021 third round pick and a 2022 second. Wentz had a below par season in 2020 with Philly, and after seeing the play from Jalen Hurts, they agreed that it was time to move on from Carson. This move makes sense for both teams mostly due to the retirement of Phillip Rivers. Wentz will likely take the starting role in Indianapolis.
In 2017, Wentz started 13 games before tearing his ACL against the L.A. Rams, and we’ve never seen the “MVP” Carson Wentz since. Perhaps it’s just the way the Eagles ran their system, and maybe Wentz needs a fresh start with a new team. In 12 games this past season, Wentz threw a career low 16 touchdowns and a career high 15 interceptions. Clearly not something you are looking for in a quarterback. The big piece in this trade, though, is Frank Reich. Reich was Wentz’s offensive coordinator during that fantastic 2016-2017 campaign, and is now obviously the head coach for Indianapolis. This already gives Carson Wentz a head start with the playbook, as he knows the type of offense Reich likes to run, and in what situations he will need Wentz to use his mobility, arm strength, etc.
The future for the Indianapolis Colts
It’s simple. Consistent deep postseason runs, and it needs to start now. With Phillip Rivers, this team was almost able to pull off an upset in Buffalo during the Wild Card round. From this trade, Indianapolis is showing the trust they have in Wentz to do better than Rivers did. Rivers had a solid year with Indy, but his defense played out of their minds to keep his offense competitive. Speaking of the offense, something the Colts will need to do is re-sign T.Y. Hilton. Now I get that Hilton didn’t necessarily hit his stride until late November, but what he’s been able to do with solid quarterbacks is all the Colts can ask for. Losing him would not be a great start for this future. Marlon Mack isn’t really a focus, because of the depth the Colts have at the running back position. Wentz has Jonothan Taylor and Nyheim Hines in the backfield, two young running backs with a lot of potential. As for the defense, it’s hard seeing Indianapolis bringing back all free agents on the d-line, knowing that they could end up getting more value elsewhere. But, after this trade, it shouldn’t be something to stress about. I’m not saying that the offense will be a strong suit this year, but it’ll definitely be a focal point to where there shouldn’t be any stress to bring back ALL defensive fa’s. They might need to target some cornerbacks like Chidobe Awuzie, Ahkello Weatherspoon, and who knows, maybe even go all out on veteran Richard Sherman.
Currently, I can see this team going 10-6, maybe even 11-5. While the record shows minimal improvement from the 2020 season, the Colts face tougher opponents, but I can also see the offense flowing better. Indianapolis plays the Titans twice, the Dolphins, the Seahawks, the Rams, the Cardinals, the Bills, and a few other opponents that could give them a tough time. This record most likely would result in a Wild Card game. If you’re a Colts fan, that’s all you can ask for when looking at this strength of schedule. Wentz should be playing much better ball, and if T.Y. Hilton stays, I see a tremendous opportunity for a breakout year for. The farthest I think this team goes in their first year with Wentz is the divisional round. It’s too hard to predict when we haven’t even seen training camp, but we know what this Colts team can do, and where they need to improve.
The future for the Philadelphia Eagles
We know that this starting spot presumably belongs to second year man Jalen Hurts. Hurts surprised a lot of the NFL world in his 4 games as a starter. He was able to knock off the high flying Saints, almost knocking off Arizona, and played a solid game against Dallas. That’s all you can expect when the talent at his wideout spot isn’t even league average. He worked with what he had, and simply got the job done. The Eagles have the second round pick from Indianapolis this season, in which they can use for a receiver if they don’t find one via free agency, or in the first round. I believe they should go for Micah Parsons out of Penn State if he is available, and maybe find a steal at WR in the second round. They could very well draft a receiver like Ja’Marr Chase in the first round, which would be perfectly fine.
Personally, I don’t see the Eagles making a postseason appearance this season. With a young quarterback like Jalen Hurts, it’s tough to see them winning the NFC East, especially with the Cowboys and Washington making some key moves. Dak is back, and Smith or Heinicke will be taking the leading role in Washington. With opponents like New Orleans, Tampa Bay, and Kansas City on the schedule, it’s not the ideal winning situation for Philly. My record prediction is 6-10. Ugly, but I have very little confidence with a new head coach. I could see them edging the playoffs in 2022, but with the teams that they will be playing, it would be a miracle to see the Eagles go over .500. The key is to load up on weapons, and keep the defense in check, and potentially target some key free agent names. Don’t pressure Hurts into a win now kind of situation, let him gel into the offense patiently. This isn’t a complete reboot, it’s sort of a fresh start for the team as a whole, except they have veterans and young talent to win some games.
Who won the trade?
For now, it’s entirely too hard to tell knowing that the Eagles could end up having a first rounder, and we truly don’t know what we’ll get out of Wentz in Indy. If I had to pick a winner here though, it’d be the Colts. The main reason is because the Eagles were trying to get a “Matthew Stafford-like” deal for Carson Wentz, but ended up getting nothing like it.
Definitely a WIN WIN deal for Indy!Getting a previous #2 pick in the draft that could really mesh well.I agree with this article as yes the Colts only give up a 3rd round pick upfront.Paying him yearly virtually the same as Rivers although Wentz has much more upside.Being reunited with Frank Reich is huge in regenerating his career as there is no one I feel that could bring out the best of Wentz.Let’s not forget Frank Reich was the one originally pleading Wentz case to Philly to draft him!So this will be very interesting on the rekindling of this duo.Philly takes a hit on the cap and Indy is still in great position after the trade moving forward.Win Win for Indy!