Newly acquired QB Carson Wentz is out indefinitely as he awaits results of tests on his foot which he reportedly injured during practice on Thursday. Wentz came up lame after rolling out and planting his foot for a throw. He has been consulting with team doctors since.
The Colts acquired the former Eagles’ signal caller for a 2021 3rd rounder and a conditional 2nd round pick (which could become a 1st if Wentz meets certain games played benchmarks) this offseason. Indianapolis was hoping that reuniting Wentz with his former coach Frank Reich could be just what the QB needed to regain his form following a disastrous 2020 season.
The injury could not come at a worse time for Indy as they elected not to re-sign veteran QB Jacoby Brissett and lack anyone in the QB room with viable NFL experience. 2nd year pro Jacob Eason will take over 1st team reps for the time being, with 2021 6th round pick Sam Ehlinger serving as backup.
Making matters worse is that offensive coordinator Marcus Brady also informed reporters that Pro Bowl center Ryan Kelly hyperextended his elbow and could be out several weeks to start the year.
Fantasy owners were bullish on a revamped Colts offense heading into 2021. WR’s Hilton, Pittman Jr., and Campbell all ranked in the top 200 players for projected fantasy production from Yahoo. Any extended period of time that Kelly would miss could also negatively impact Jonathan Taylor’s early season returns. Taylor is currently the 5th player off the board based on ADP in mock drafts.
Owners will need to keep an eye on injury reports coming from Colts training camp in the coming weeks and draft accordingly. Obviously this is not the start to Colts training camp the team had envisioned when they began on July 27th.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner