Just 24 hours after a historic trade was made, another quarterback was on the move. The Indianapolis Colts traded QB Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders in exchange for draft picks. Wentz played just one year with the Colts, in which they missed the playoffs. With a chance to clinch a berth, Wentz and the Colts lost to a three-win Jacksonville Jaguar team by a score of 26-11. Let us analyze each side of the trade, who the next quarterback for the Colts is, as well as if Washington got better from this trade.

Trade Details

Colts Receive:

• 2022 third-round pick

• 2023 third-round pick (becomes a second-round pick if Wentz plays 70% of snaps)

• 2022 second-round pick

Commanders Receive:

• QB Carson Wentz

• 2022 second-round pick

The Commanders will also pay the entirety of Wentz’s salary, which is $28M in 2022, including a $5M roster bonus.

Did Washington Get Better?

From an outside perspective, it looks like the Commanders finally got a quarterback for the roster that is playoff-caliber. The only question though is it really an upgrade. In 2021, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was supposed to be the starter, but he got injured in Week 1, springing QB Taylor Heinicke back into a starting role. Heinicke is a nice story but is average at best. In 2021, he completed 65% of his passes for 20 TDs and 15 INTs, sporting a passer rating of 85.9. Those numbers are not scary, leading the Washington Football Team (at the time) to a 7-10 record. For Wentz, his numbers were better, throwing 7 more touchdowns and 8 fewer picks, but still missed the playoffs with a league-leading rusher and a great defense. There have also been reports that Wentz has had leadership issues. Now, he quarterbacks a team that threw punches on the sideline and cannot seem to get out of their own way when it comes to controversy. At this moment, I would not bet on the Commanders being that much better than last year, mainly because I do not know how much of an upgrade Wentz truly is at the quarterback position.

Colts QB?

Now, onto the Colts, where it does not get any easier. If a team were to win this trade, I think it would be the Colts because they cleared Wentz entire contract, giving them some wiggle room to sign or trade for a quarterback. As of right now, the Colts do not have a quarterback on their roster outside of Sam Ehlinger and James Morgan. Both of those players have very little experience in the NFL, let alone being a starting quarterback. Luckily for the Colts, they do have options. They can sign a veteran bridge player like Mitch Trubisky or Jameis Winston. Or, the more likely route, they can trade for a QB like Jimmy Garoppolo, Derek Carr, or Kirk Cousins. They can also trade for QB Deshaun Watson, but I would not consider him until there is some clarity with his legal situation. Indianapolis can also draft a quarterback, but if they are going to do that, they are better off waiting until next year. At this moment, the best move for the Colts is to sign a bridge guy and take a shot on a much better QB class next year, which will include Alabama QB, Bryce Young. All options are open, so we will see what happens.

QB Carousel

First, Aaron Rodgers re-signed with the Packers (I know, very anti-climactic). Anyway, that was the first quarterback move made. Next was QB Russell Wilson to the Broncos, followed by the Wentz news. The big question is who is next. There have been numerous rumblings about even more quarterbacks being moved, most notably 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo. It is almost a guarantee that he gets moved because QB Trey Lance is slotted to be the starter for San Francisco for the foreseeable future. Other QB’s that might be on the move is, as stated earlier, Derek Carr, Kirk Cousins, and Deshaun Watson (pending legal issues). There have also been some issues in Arizona with QB Kyler Murray. While it is unlikely, he gets moved, it is still something to keep an eye on. This might all be a lot of rumors, but you never know with the way they are getting moved around these days. Who knows, by the time you read this, your favorite team might have traded their quarterback.

Draft info from cbssports.com

Stats from profootballreference.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas

After weeks of rumors, the Eagles finally traded Carson Wentz. The initial return for Philly felt a bit underwhelming, but there is a chance for it to become a solid deal after a year.

It happened, folks. After a career-worst season in 2020, the Eagles traded Carson Wentz to the Colts and are seemingly moving on with 2020 draft pick Jalen Hurts. In exchange, Philadelphia received a third-round draft choice this year and a conditional pick for next season. If Carson Wentz plays 75% or more of snaps for the Colts, the conditional selection will be a first-rounder. If he plays just 70 but the Colts make the postseason, it will still be a first. If neither of those conditions are met, it will be just a second-rounder.

The Colts have been in the quarterback market since the abrupt retirement of Andrew Luck, going through one-year stints with current backup Jacoby Brissett and Chargers legend Philip Rivers. Rivers, with the help of a great defense, steered the team to an 11-5 record and a playoff spot, but he retired after a first-round exit. Now a team considered “a quarterback away from Super Bowl contention”, the Colts had to make a move quickly. They did.

For the Eagles, it was an interesting run with the 2016 #2 overall pick. After a shaky rookie season, Wentz nearly won MVP of the league in 2017, throwing for 3,296 yards, 33 TDs, and 7 INTs in 13 games (11-2 record). An injury caused him to miss the final three games of the regular season and the playoffs, but the Eagles were able to collect the franchise’s first Super Bowl ring despite. In 2018, he was shut down early once again thanks to a back injury, but he had a decent season, throwing for 21 TDs and 7 INTs. In 2019, after an injury-prone label started becoming attached to his name, Wentz dragged a terrible Eagles roster to the playoffs, racking up 4,039 yards, 27 TDs, and once again, just 7 INTs. 

It seemed as if he had shaken off the injury history and fully cemented himself as a franchise QB, but a questionable hit from Jadeveon Clowney knocked him out of his first playoff game just minutes in. After that, the Eagles did nothing to instill confidence in him, drafting a quarterback in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. After a career-worst season inspired by a loss of mechanics, shaky offensive line play, and once again, a terrible receiving corps, Wentz was benched by the Eagles ¾ through the season. Hurts showed some flashes, and clearly, it was enough for Howie Roseman and the front office to move on from the once-beloved, but now overpriced passer.

The 2016 draft class has now seen its first and second overall picks get traded in the same offseason. With Dak Prescott’s free agency looming, could we see the three best signal-callers from that draft get moved? Stay tuned.

*All stats come from Pro Football Reference and StatMuse

Writer

-By: Micah Jimoh

After a tough loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the Indianapolis Colts took on their division rival, the Tennessee Titans, in a matchup on Thursday Night Football. The Titans, coming off a win over the Bears, were leading the division coming into the night, but were not able to slow down the Colts, losing 34-17 in a dominating performance by Indianapolis. Let us break the game down and see how they came out victorious.

Colts Play Efficient Offense

The Colts are one of the sounder teams on both sides of the ball, and tonight the offense was as sound as you can be. Indianapolis totaled 308 yards in the air and 133 yards on the ground, possessing the ball for 31:18. They also picked up three huge fourth downs that led to points on the scoreboard.

Statistically, QB Philip Rivers played winning football, posting a line of 29/39, 308 yards, and one touchdown to RB Nyheim Hines. Speaking of Hines, the usual scatback paced the rushing attack, carrying the ball 12 times for 70 yards, finding the endzone once, while also catching five passes for 45 yards and adding a receiving touchdown as mentioned before. WR Michael Pittman Jr. had a career day reeling in seven catches for 101 yards. He also added a 21-yard rush for a total of 122 yards on the day, a career-high. Eight different players caught passes for the Colts, keeping the offense balanced and in rhythm.

Defense and Special Teams Wins Games

While it is not the most glamorous part of football, defense and special teams win games all the time and were able to win this game for the Colts. Defensively, Indianapolis gave up just 294 yards and did a good job of getting off the field, holding the Titans to 3-10 on third down and 0-1 on fourth down. LB Darius Leonard had nine total tackles and DT Denico Autry recorded a sack in the victory.

Out of all three phases, the special teams won the game for the Colts and lost it for the Titans. K Rodrigo Blankenship went 2/2 on FG and 4/4 on XP, compared to Titans K Stephen Gostkowski who went 1/2 on FG and 2/2 on XP. In the punting game, Titans P Trevor Daniel shanked a punt in the third quarter, leading to a touchdown. On another punt, Daniel was blocked and was picked up and taken to the endzone by TJ Carrie. The missed field goal also led to a touchdown for the Colts, who took advantage of the Titans mistake all night.

Corey Davis

While losing the game, Titans WR Corey Davis deserves a ton of credit for producing in this game, let alone playing in it. Earlier in the week, Davis’ brother Titus passed away from a rare cancer called renal medullary carcinoma, a form of kidney cancer at only 27 years old. Playing with a heavy heart, Davis did what he could in the losing effort, leading the air attack with five catches for 67 yards. On the season, the former first-round pick now has 34 catches for 436 yards in six games this season and will look to continue his success in 2020.

Looking Ahead

With both teams now off for ten days, they will be able to get rest and get healthy for Week 11. For the Titans, they will look to rebound and improve to 7-3 against a tough AFC opponent, the Baltimore Ravens (6-2), on the road. As for the Colts, they will look to extend their lead in the division when they host the Green Bay Packers (6-2) in Week 11.

Stats and info from profootballreference.com

Info on Titus Davis from cbssports.com

Writer

-By: Richie Dordas