By Jordan Long
Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback Carson Wentz suffered a foot injury during training camp that required surgery. He is now out 5 to 12 weeks. The Colts will look to replace him. What are their options?
On their current roster, the Colts have two young quarterbacks, Jacob Eason and Sam Ehlinger. Eason was a 4th round selection by the Colts in 2020 while Ehlinger was a 6th round pick in this years’ NFL draft. Neither one has played meaningful snaps in the NFL. It is possible they go ahead with one of them until Wentz is back.
A problem with that is they haven’t learned how to read an NFL defense. They could end up throwing interceptions in preseason games. That is just part of the learning process, but the Colts may want to look elsewhere for a quarterback.
In free agency Robert Griffin III and Blake Bortles are still out there for veteran quarterbacks. Griffin has played in the NFL for 7 seasons. He suited up for the then Washington Redskins who are now the Washington Football Team, Cleveland Browns, and Baltimore Ravens. He has a career starting record of 16-26. Last year he was with the Baltimore Ravens and dressed for 4 games. He was 8 of 14 passing for 42 yards but didn’t have a touchdown. He tossed 2 interceptions.
In his career, Griffin passed for 9,271 yards, 43 touchdowns, and 30 interceptions. He takes chances throwing the ball downfield. Griffin will run with his legs to gain yards with 1,809 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. The only problem with his game is he won’t slide to avoid the hits but he is a veteran that the Colts could take a gamble on.
Bortles is a 6 year veteran. He was with the Denver Broncos and the L.A. Rams last year. Most of his career was spent as a starter with the Jacksonville Jaguars and his record was a disappointing 24-49. It wasn’t all his fault because Jacksonville never had a competitive team around him. Bortles passed for 17,649 yards and 103 touchdowns to this point in his career. Bortles though, will throw the ball into double coverage for interceptions with 75 in his career. Both of these are options for the Colts.
If they don’t like the free agent market they could make a trade with the Chicago Bears. This is a long shot but how could it hurt to call the Bears to hear the asking price for veteran Nick Foles. If it is reasonable, then make a trade. Foles would be the starter while Wentz is out. Who knows, maybe Foles performs well and it is his job for the rest of the year.
The Colts may also call quarterback Philip Rivers. Rivers retired at the end of last season after spending one season with the Colts. He hasn’t ruled out an NFL return.
According to ESPN, Rivers said, “I’m not quite there. I’m getting back there. I wouldn’t have made weight if I had to report last week, that’s for sure. But I am getting back into the lifting and running, and shoot, I occasionally throw a ball around out here in this heat. It’s not too hard to get a good lather going. I’m just going to stay ready. I want to make sure I’m very clear: I’m not predicting I will play in December or January, for that matter. One, you’ve got to have somebody who wants you, and two, it’s got to be right. But I have not completely ruled that out.”
Rivers knows the offense and the team since he played their last season. Rivers flourished in the offense passing for 4,169 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He led the Colts to an 11-5 record. It is worth it to see how much interest he has in playing football. Rivers knows the offense and wouldn’t have to relearn it.
The Colts will take a look at their options. The best case scenario is Wentz is out for 5 weeks which puts him back in week 2 against the L.A. Rams. Otherwise, he would be back in week 9 against the New York Jets or it could be longer. Hopefully, they are not out of a playoff spot by then.
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