Carson Wentz

The Indianapolis Colts potentially have a quarterback battle brewing after Carson Wentz's foot injury.

Rookie Sam Ehlinger took first-team reps at practice Tuesday, and Colts coach Frank Reich said the team will "take it day-by-day" in determining who gets more work moving forward. Jacob Eason had been getting the first-team reps since Wentz underwent surgery to repair a foot injury.

“It wasn’t Jacob doing anything wrong,” Reich said Tuesday, per The Athletic's Stephen Holder. "This is a meritocracy and Sam has looked good, so we decided to split it up. The good news is they both looked sharp today. We’ll continue to split those reps.”

Wentz is expected to be out well into the regular season.

Eason was the Colts' fourth-round pick in 2020; Ehlinger was taken in the sixth round this year. 

The Colts appear determined to see what they have in both young quarterbacks rather than make a trade for a veteran. Nick Foles, currently third on the Chicago Bears' depth chart, has been oft-mentioned as a potential target. Foles and Reich have an existing relationship dating back to their days in Philadelphia.

"I don't mind talking about Nick Foles. I love Nick Foles," Reich said last Wednesday. "He plays for the Chicago Bears. I haven't talked to him, but I think he's a great player. I think he's proven that. I think he's a great teammate—there's nothing about Nick Foles that I don't like. I think he's a winner. He's certainly a guy that fits our kind of culture, but he plays for the Chicago Bears. We're glad we got the guys we've got, and we're focusing on getting our team better, and I'm excited about that and the players that we have."

With a roster that looks primed for Super Bowl contention aside from the quarterback spot, there will likely be some increased pressure if Ehlinger and Eason struggle in the preseason.

Carson Wentz has a wide range for a potential return from his foot surgery, but the Indianapolis Colts are optimistic about the quarterback's recovery.

Jay Glazer of Fox Sports provided an update Thursday:

"They think that he'll actually push to come back a little bit sooner rather than later in the first part of the season," Glazer said. "Not a season-ender."

Wentz underwent successful surgery Monday to remove a piece of loose bone in his foot. The quarterback had re-injured a prior fracture that might have occurred in high school.

"The five-, 12-week spectrum is real," head coach Frank Reich told reporters Monday. "We don't know."

Glazer noted the Colts feel good about a quicker return but cautioned that "they'll know more in about two weeks."

Indy open its season Sept. 12 against the Seattle Seahawks, about six weeks after the surgery.

Wentz is heading into his first year in Indianapolis after an offseason trade from the Philadelphia Eagles. The 28-year-old was a Pro Bowler in 2017 with Reich as his offensive coordinator, but he has regressed in recent years and is coming off a disappointing 2021 campaign in which he led the NFL with 15 interceptions in 12 games.

Second-year signal-caller Jacob Eason is the Colts' presumed starting quarterback until Wentz returns to full strength.

When the Philadelphia Eagles traded quarterback Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts earlier this offseason, it was viewed a win-win for both teams.

While Wentz played poorly with the Eagles last season, throwing a league-high 15 interceptions in only 12 games, he proved in 2017 that he is capable of playing at a near-MVP level. For Indy, he became a reclamation project with tremendous upside. The Eagles, meanwhile, got to move on from a player who became a bit of a distraction last season.

Moving Wentz also netted the Eagles a conditional second-round pick in 2022, plus a 2021 third-rounder. The second-rounder can become a first-round pick if Wentz plays at least 75 percent of the Colts' offensive snaps or plays 70 percent while Indianapolis makes the postseason.

With Philip Rivers retired and Jacoby Brissett departing in free agency, that threshold seemed reasonable—until Monday. Head coach Frank Reich announced that Wentz, who aggravated a lingering foot injury during training camp, will undergo surgery and miss anywhere from five to 12 weeks.

That reduces the odds of the Colts conveying their first-round pick to the Eagles, which will place more pressure on second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Timeline and Potential Fallout

If Wentz takes the full 12 weeks to recover, there's no way he'll play 70 percent of the Colts' offensive snaps. If he recovers within six weeks of the surgery, Wentz could be back under center by Week 2.

Should Wentz miss only a few weeks of the regular season, he could still play more than 80 percent of the Colts' offensive snaps. However, Indianapolis has a brutal early schedule—Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams, at Tennessee Titans, at Miami Dolphins, at Baltimore Ravens—and the Colts may not want to rush Wentz into the teeth of that stretch.

The Colts could also decide to sit Wentz late in the season if they fall out of playoff contention, and a rocky start would make reaching the postseason difficult. They won't actively choose to forfeit a first-round pick if they're only playing for draft positioning in December.

The odds are now stacked against the Eagles receiving the Colts' first-round pick. That may thwart their attempts to parlay their draft capital into a different quarterback if they aren't sold on Hurts.

Trading up in the 2022 draft could be an option. So could trading for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, per NBC Sports' Peter King, if Watson is able to play moving forward amid the 22 lawsuits he's facing from women accusing him of sexual assault or misconduct.

"The Eagles are likely to be in play when Houston trades him, assuming Houston does sometime before draft day 2022," King wrote.

The Eagles currently have two first-round picks in 2022, plus two second-rounders. That could help make for an attractive draft package, but having three first-round selections would be better.

Two No. 1s may not be enough to nab a player like Watson or Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. It also may not be enough to climb to the top of what is perceived as a relatively shallow 2022 rookie quarterback pool—one that doesn't appear to have a sure thing.

The San Francisco 49ers spent two first-round picks and a third-rounder to move from No. 12 to No. 3 in the 2021 draft. That means it might be Hurts-or-bust for the Eagles beyond the 2021 season.

The Pressure

The pressure is now on Hurts to establish himself as the Eagles' new franchise quarterback. Joe Flacco isn't their long-term answer, and Nick Mullens isn't, either.

"There's a lot of chatter that goes on," Hurts said about trade speculation, per Martin Frank of the Delaware News Journal. "I'm above it all. Control what I can. I'm here. That's what I'm doing, going out there to be the quarterback of this team."

The pressure is on the Eagles, new head coach Nick Sirianni and executive vice president Howie Roseman for betting so heavily on a largely unproven quarterback. Wentz was named to a Pro Bowl and helped the Eagles reach a Super Bowl. Though he showed flashes last season, Hurts has started only four NFL games.

And while Hurts may be able to block out the external noise, the pressure in Philadelphia will trickle down to him one way or another. Jobs could be tied both to how Hurts performs and where the Eagles land in the draft.

From the front office's standpoint, there may not be a middle ground. The Eagles may either hope he succeeds or fails enough to maximize their draft positioning. Seeing as how the Eagles were verbally non-committal on Hurts before the draft, stockpiling picks and eventually making a different move may have been the original Plan A ahead of Wentz.

Losing that third first-round pick potentially changes how Eagles go about maximizing their draft capital, and Hurts may be entering a situation where he has to be great right away to get any sort of a fair opportunity in 2021.

Can Hurts Be the Answer?

The good news is that Wentz's injury won't matter as much if Hurts develops into a franchise quarterback. He showed a lot in his limited 2020 opportunity, throwing for 847 yards and rushing for 238 in his three complete starts.

If Hurts can build on what he did well as a rookie, he can become a quality starter. He should be in a far better situation this year, too.

The Eagles gave up a league-high 65 sacks last season, but they're expected to have offensive tackles Lane Johnson and Andre Dillard back in the fold. They also traded up for Hurts' former Alabama teammate, wideout DeVonta Smith, although he's currently sidelined with an MCL sprain.

The Eagles still have tight ends Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert, and Hurts should have at least an average wide receiver trio in Smith, 2020 first-round pick Jalen Reagor and Travis Fulgham. The Eagles also have a quality backfield tandem in Miles Sanders and Boston Scott.

Regardless of the supporting cast, Hurts has the confidence to believe in his development.

"When you talk about growing as a player, I know I haven't touched the ceiling yet, I haven't scratched it," Hurts said, per Dave Spadaro of the team's official website.

If Hurts can reach his ceiling, he won't care whether the Eagles have an extra first-round pick or an extra second-rounder in 2022. Either way, they'll use that pick to continue improving his team.

The Indianapolis Colts were interested in trading for Las Vegas Raiders backup quarterback Marcus Mariota before landing Philadelphia Eagles signal-caller Carson Wentz, per Mike Kaye of NJ.com.

The report dropped on the same day the Colts announced that Wentz will be out five to 12 weeks after undergoing a procedure on his left foot. Jacob Eason is filling in as the Colts' starter in Wentz's absence.

Mariota, 27, is entering his seventh NFL season. He spent his first five with the Tennessee Titans, but he lost his job midway through the 2019 season in favor of Ryan Tannehill. Mariota never got the starting gig back and left the team via free agency after the campaign.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 draft found his way to the Raiders, slotting in as the QB2 behind Derek Carr.

Mariota took over for an injured Carr during a late-season home game against the Los Angeles Chargers, completing 17 of 28 passes for 226 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed nine times for 88 yards and another score in a 30-27 overtime loss.

That's all the action Mariota saw in 2020, and he didn't fare particularly well in six starts in 2019 (59.4 percent completion rate, seven passing touchdowns), so dealing for him might be a risk.

At any rate, the asking price might be high for Mariota anyway, per Vic Tafur of The Athletic:

Wentz could very well return on the earlier end of that return timeline. However, the pessimistic end has Wentz returning midseason, leaving the Colts in a potential bind.

For now, Eason is the guy. The former Georgia and Washington quarterback was taken in the fourth round of the 2020 draft. He did not see any game time last year.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote the following scouting report on Eason in advance of the draft.

His elite size and arm talent are reminiscent of Carson Palmer, but issues with pocket poise and getting through progressions cleanly are more reminiscent of Brock Osweiler. Eason is fun to watch when he's ripping throws around the field and taking deep play-action shots, but a lack of mobility inside and outside the pocket is troubling, considering his ineffectiveness when pressured. He's relatively inexperienced and should continue to develop from the pocket, but poise is hard to fix, and handling exotic blitz packages is not a given. He's a pro-style, play-action-based quarterback with average starter potential and an average backup floor.

The 6'6", 231-pound Eason completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 23 touchdowns (and eight interceptions) during his final season in college for Washington.

The Indianapolis Colts haven't made contact with Nick Foles despite the recent injury to Carson Wentz, but Foles appeared to be lobbying for a move Monday:

"Listen, Frank Reich is one of my favorite, if not favorite, coaches of all time," Foles said about the Colts head coach. "... I haven’t had any talks with them. I’m a Chicago Bear right now. But he knows me."

Reich coached both Wentz and Foles as offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles on the team's run to the Super Bowl. Foles won Super Bowl MVP in the win over the New England Patriots.

The Colts traded for Wentz in the offseason, but the quarterback is now sidelined with a foot injury that could keep him out up to 12 weeks, Reich told reporters Monday. It could provide an opening for Foles, who is third on the Bears' depth chart behind Andy Dalton and Justin Fields.

The 32-year-old tried to sell himself to the Colts and potentially other teams Monday."

The version of right now is the version of me that is much better than the one that played in the Super Bowl," Foles said.

The in-game production hasn't told the same story, unfortunately, with two bad years for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears leading to an uncertain future. Foles had just 2,588 passing yards with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions over 13 appearances in the last two seasons, producing an 81.8 rating. His teams went just 2-9 in his 11 starts and he was benched in favor of Gardner Minshew and Mitchell Trubisky.

Foles still has two more years remaining on his current contract and the Bears don't have many options for him. Per Spotrac, the veteran has a $6.67 million cap hit for 2021, but it would leave $11.67 million in dead cap if he is released (plus $2.67 million in 2022). 

A trade would be better for Chicago, leaving just $2.67 million in dead cap this year and next, but the Colts are yet to make a move.

Jacob Eason is currently projected to start for the Colts while Wentz is unavailable.

Injuries continue to haunt Carson Wentz, as the Indianapolis Colts quarterback will miss significant time with a foot injury, head coach Frank Reich said Monday.

Wentz will undergo surgery and there is a wide timetable for a potential return.

"The 5-12 week spectrum is real," Reich told reporters Monday. "We don't know."

Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star reported Jacob Eason has worked as QB1 with Wentz unavailable.

Given Wentz's injury history dating back to his college days at North Dakota State, drafting the quarterback at all in fantasy likely was a risky move.

Another issue is Wentz hasn't looked very good when healthy recently. His tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles unofficially ended in Week 13 last season when he was benched in favor of Jalen Hurts. 

Wentz tied Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock for most interceptions (15) in 2020. He also ranked 34th out of 35 qualified quarterbacks in completion percentage (57.4) and was 20th in fantasy points per game among quarterbacks (17.78) in standard-scoring leagues.

The Colts reunited Wentz with Frank Reich, who was his offensive coordinator in Philadelphia from 2016-17, when they acquired him in a trade with Philadelphia during the offseason. 

Wentz is in a much better position to succeed with Indianapolis than he was over the previous three seasons in Philadelphia. The Colts have a much better offensive line and better skill-position players to ease the burden on his shoulders. 

The switch from Wentz to Eason is certainly going to impact Indianapolis' ability to move the ball. A fourth-round draft pick in 2020, Eason didn't play a snap in a regular-season game as a rookie. The jury is clearly still out on what he can do in the NFL. 

Colts wide receivers T.Y. Hilton and Michael Pittman Jr. are going to be severely impacted by the change at quarterback. Hilton's performance has slowed down over the past two seasons due to a combination of age and injuries. 

Since putting up 1,270 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 2018, Hilton has 1,263 yards and 10 scores over the past two seasons combined. He's also missed seven games during that span. 

Pittman flashed potential as a rookie in 2020, but week-to-week consistency was an issue. The USC alum had a career-high seven receptions and 101 yards in a Week 10 win over the Tennessee Titans but failed to have more than three catches or 66 yards in the final seven regular-season games. 

Until Eason establishes himself as a viable quarterback, the best bet for fantasy success from the Colts roster is at running back. Jonathan Taylor ran for 1,169 yards and had 299 receiving yards with 12 total touchdowns in 2020. 

Nyheim Hines scored seven total touchdowns on just 152 touches last season. 

Expect Reich and offensive coordinator Marcus Brady to feed both running backs a lot until Wentz is able to return. Taylor is a borderline RB1 in fantasy no matter who is at quarterback, while Hines has high upside value as a flex player. 

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz is expected to miss between five and 12 weeks because of surgery on his foot injury, coach Frank Reich told reporters Monday.

It's been a brutal start for Wentz in Indianapolis. In his first training camp with the Colts since the Philadelphia Eagles traded him in March, the 28-year-old was held out of practice last week with a foot ailment. 

Indianapolis planned to use rest and rehab programs to avoid surgery, but Reich said Wentz will undergo a procedure after further evaluation. He added it was an old injury that caused the bone to come loose. 

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo (via NFL.com's Adam Maya) noted the downside to not getting surgery:

"A caveat to powering through the ailment is that medical personnel believe the sixth-year QB would be much less mobile, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported. That was a trademark of Wentz's game in Philadelphia, where he led the team to three consecutive playoff appearances but was unable to close out each season because of injuries."

Jacob Eason, Brett Hundley and Sam Ehlinger are listed as backups, but none offer the production the starter was hoped to provide.

In 12 games last season, Wentz passed for 2,620 yards, 16 touchdowns and 15 interceptions for a 49.6 QBR. He was benched after Week 13, which spelled the end of his time in Philadelphia.

Indianapolis was meant to provide a second chance for the 2016 No. 2 overall pick when he reunited with Reich, his former offensive coordinator with the Eagles.

That may still be the case, but Colts fans will have to wait a while before Wentz takes the field.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz is reportedly hopeful he can avoid surgery after suffering a foot injury in practice last week.  

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Wentz plans to "rest and rehab" his foot rather than have surgery. He could be ready for Week 1 if that approach works, but if not, surgery is a possibility.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Friday that Wentz would be out indefinitely after suffering the foot injury near the end of practice Thursday.

The 28-year-old veteran spent his first five NFL campaigns with the Philadelphia Eagles after they took him second overall in the 2016 NFL draft.

Wentz's trade to Indianapolis came to fruition following a 2020 season in which Wentz struggled mightily and lost his starting job to Jalen Hurts.

The former North Dakota State star went just 3-8-1 as a starter last season and completed 57.4 percent of his passes for 2,620 yards, 16 touchdowns and an NFL-high 15 interceptions.

It was a tough fall from grace for a player who was firmly in the MVP conversation just three years earlier.

The 2017 season seemed like the start of something special for Wentz, as he went 11-2 in 13 starts and completed 60.2 percent of his passes for 3,296 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions. If not for a torn ACL that cut his season short, he likely would have been the MVP.

Wentz won a Super Bowl that season, but he had to watch from the sideline as Nick Foles led Philly to a championship.

While Wentz had some positive moments after that, he was never quite the same player as he was before the knee injury. Even so, the Colts were willing to take a chance on the strength of his relationship with Frank Reich.

Reich, who is the Colts head coach, was the Eagles offensive coordinator during Wentz's best season in 2017.

The reclamation project may be put on hold temporarily while Wentz heals up, and if that is the case, 2020 fourth-round pick Jacob Eason is the likeliest candidate to fill in.

Sam Ehlinger, a rookie sixth-round pick out of Texas, figures to move up the depth chart as well until Wentz returns. Additionally, the Colts signed veteran quarterback Brett Hundley on Saturday.