Frank Reich's recent statement could spell trouble for Carson Wentz at Indy
Carson Wentz and the Indianapolis Colts had two opportunities in Week 17 and Week 18 to clinch a playoff berth. But consecutive losses to the Las Vegas Raiders and the Jacksonville Jaguars sent all of those hopes out the window, ending their season.
NFL fans were quick to blame the quarterback, who had a rollercoaster first year in Indianapolis.
On Monday, Indianapolis Colts head coach Franck Reich was asked about the tenure of quarterback Carson Wentz heading into the 2022 NFL season. Reich wasn't fully committed to the former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback being the signal caller for the Indianapolis Colts next season.
He said that he wasn't ready to speak about next year's roster for the Colts and that if he began speaking about one player, that it would snowball and he would speak about about all of them.
“We loved the team we had this year, we knew everyone we brought in this year, we expected to play winning football,” Reich said instead. “Next year’s roster will be next year’s roster. I don’t want to open it up about one player and then start talking about all of them.”-Frank Reich on Carson Wentz's future with the Colts
Will Carson Wentz be the QB for the Indianapolis Colts in 2022?
Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich's non-committal response about retaining his quarterback was a bit surprising. Reich was all-in in regards to trading for Wentz this past offseason.
Reich coached Wentz in Philadelphia in his first two NFL seasons.
Reich not committing to Wentz not only has to do with their previous relationship, but also the fact that he did so last season when speaking about Phillip Rivers.
A perfect QBR is 100.
An average QBR is 50.
In a play-in game against the worst team in football, Carson Wentz posted a QBR of 4.4.
After the Indianapolis Colts were defeated by the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round last season, Reich was asked if he would like Rivers to return to the Colts in 2021.
Rivers did end up retiring after last season, but Reich's answer before that showed that he did want him to return to the team.
“As I sit here right now, yes, I want Philip Rivers to be my starting quarterback next year. What I’m really proud of, for Philip, is that he earned the right to be in that discussion.”-Frank Reich last season on Phillip Rivers
The Indianapolis Colts have a talented offense and a powerful running game behind running back Jonathan Taylor. The offense also has talented wide receivers, including Michael Pittman Jr., who just finished his second season.
Having a strong passing game to compliment the running game would make the Colts nearly unstoppable. But when the time came to make plays, Wentz was unable to do so down the stretch.
He threw for 148 passing yards in Week 17 against the Raiders and 185 passing yards in Week 18 against a struggling Jaguars defense.
.@danorlovsky7 reacts to the Colts' collapse 😳
“Carson Wentz is to blame for this Colts loss! … I think it’s probably one of the WORST losses in the history of the organization! https://t.co/SZsjCbwbVw
If the Colts were to move on from Carson Wentz, who would they start at quarterback? Will they go with Sam Ehlinger, who was drafted out of the University of Texas this past season?
Or would the Colts go with a higher-profile quarterback who may be on the move this offseason?