National Football League

Carson Wentz's latest setback could prove costly for Colts in more ways than one

Published Sep. 21, 2021 9:04 a.m. ET

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The best ability is availability. But in the case of Carson Wentz, availability has proved elusive during his career.

The Indianapolis Colts' quarterback suffered not one but two ankle sprains on Sunday in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams, marking the latest on a growing list of injuries over his past four seasons.

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Wentz was unable to finish the game for the Colts, and this latest setback comes after he missed the majority of the preseason because of a foot injury. If he now misses games because of the dual ankle injuries, it would be the fourth time in his six-year career that he has failed to play in every regular-season game due to injury.

Wentz's injury woes began in the 2017 season, when he suffered a torn ACL in Week 14 against the Rams, ending his season. In 13 games that season, he threw a career-high 33 touchdown passes and had a career-best 78.6 QBR.

The Philadelphia Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl in his absence, and Wentz finished third in MVP voting, but since then, he has not come close to the statistical dominance he showed during that campaign.

In 2018, a back injury kept him out of the final five games of the regular season and the playoffs. Then, after he played the entire 2019 season injury-free, Wentz was knocked out of his only career playoff game by a concussion on the opening drive against the Seattle Seahawks.

Some say a player is what his reputation says he is, and to this point, Wentz's reputation is injury-prone.

After a disappointing end to his tenure with the Eagles last season, Wentz was hoping for a fresh start in Indianapolis and looking to return to the form he showed early in his career. Instead, the bug that has plagued him to this point seems to have appeared once again.

For that reason alone, Colin Cowherd said Monday that if the decision in Indy were his, he would look to get out from under Wentz's contract. He explained on "The Herd" his stance that an injury-prone quarterback is too risky.

"When you watch Carson Wentz play, my takeaway would be if I was [Colts general manager] Chris Ballard, I know I've got to move off of this in two years," Cowherd said. "First of all, Carson Wentz gives me anxiety to watch. It hurts. … The second thing is you can't go into seasons crossing your fingers that your quarterback is healthy."

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After replacing Philip Rivers — who retired after the 2020 season — with Wentz, Indy's decision is already in question, amplified by the fact that the Colts are 0-2 and facing the possibility of being without their starting quarterback.

If the team moved on from the QB after this season, Wentz's contract would take up $15 million in dead cap space in 2022, which would be costly but manageable.

If, and how long, Wentz will be out remains a mystery — much like his future in Indy.

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National Football League

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