Everyone in the Indianapolis Colts organization should be jumping for joy today with the return of quarterback Carson Wentz to the practice field. It has been just three weeks since Wentz had surgery to remove a broken bone in his foot. Initially, estimates were that Wentz would miss anywhere from 5-12 weeks after having the surgery. Now it looks like he’ll be ready to go for Week 1 of the regular season.
Wentz practiced with the team today for the first time, taking all the first-team reps in 7-on-7 work. Wentz spoke to reporters about his injury after practice.
“I’m optimistic, but we’ll see how it responds,” Wentz said of his foot. “As long as there’s nothing I can do to make it worse, I’ve played through a lot worse.”
This is excellent news for the Colts and head coach Frank Reich. Indy will need Wentz to have a bounce-back year if they have any hopes of making a run at the AFC South crown. The Titans are my pick to win that division this year, but with seven playoff spots now available, the Colts should have a shot at grabbing one of the wild card spots in the AFC.
The Colts and Titans finished with the same record in the division last season, but the Tennessee Titans took the crown via tiebreaker. With only the Titans to worry about in the south, the Colts should rack up wins within the division this year. If the Colts can split with Tennessee, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans should be a clean sweep for Indy. But as the saying goes. On any given Sunday (Monday or Thursday).
So, it will be vital for Wentz to not only play well, but stay on the field. Something he’s had a tough time doing for most of his career. Wentz has played 16 games twice during his five-year career in the NFL. Missing just two or three games in the NFL is a lot when you factor in only playing 16 (now 17) games. Missing games is even more significant at the QB position.
Wentz knows about that firsthand, having lost his starting job in Philadelphia after he tore his ACL during the 2017-18 season. Nick Foles stepped in for the Eagles, and the rest is history. Rumors of the Colts bringing in Foles began after Wentz’s foot injury, but those rumblings died down almost as swiftly as they appeared.
It’s time for Wentz to prove himself and show the world his name belongs among the great QBs currently playing in the league. If nothing else, show us you can be serviceable and stay on the field the entire season.
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