The Colts Are Legit Super Bowl Contenders With Carson Wentz
Throw a party, Indianapolis. You’re officially back in the hunt. The Colts have sort of been a lost franchise the last several years. When Indy drafted Luck, they failed to put a stable supporting cast around him. Since Luck retired, the supporting cast is stable but the quarterback position has not.
With Carson Wentz being traded to the Colts, there’s only one takeaway to have from the Indianapolis perspective. You are officially one of the eight teams that’s capable of winning the Super Bowl.
I think the Colts pure roster has been a bit overstated. However, this is still a team that went 11-5 with a washed Philip Rivers. The Colts do have some great things going for them. The offensive line is about as good as it gets. Frank Reich has proven he’s clever. The same goes for defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus who hasn’t gotten enough credit.
Carson Wentz isn’t just an upgrade over Philip Rivers. Indianapolis is inserting one of the 5-10 most talented quarterbacks in football. Wentz has the arm, size, and athletic traits that you look for at the position. Furthermore, he was the runaway MVP when Reich coached him in Philadelphia. That guy is coming back.
The Colts have things to work on. They need more stars on the defensive side of the ball. Indy also needs to upgrade the receiver position beyond a broken TY Hilton. Michael Pittman and Jack Doyle are a start but things still need to be upgraded.
The biggest win for the Colts is that they gave up a fraction of the price the Rams paid for Matthew Stafford. Wentz isn’t only younger, but also has played at an MVP level. Furthermore, the Colts didn’t bleed their draft capital. Indianapolis is projected to have over $40 million in cap space even after trading Wentz.
Hell even adding someone like Marvin Jones and drafting Rondale Moore in the second round starts to make this team dangerous. Parris Campbell should be back at some point too after showing flashes in his second season. Being able to keep your first and second round pick gives the Colts options.
Philip Rivers was a shot fighter last year. Guy had NOTHING left. The smarts of Frank Reich kept him afloat enough so Indy made the playoffs in a weak AFC. With Wentz? Who’s better in the AFC than the Colts? Outside of Kansas City and Buffalo, I’ll take Indianapolis over everyone else in the AFC.
By no means is Wentz perfect but Reich is the perfect coach for him. Wentz found himself in Philadelphia tried to carry the team in more ways than one. Doug Pederson hated running the football with a passion. Reich will bring a more balanced approach. The Colts offensive line is a huge upgrade over what Philadelphia brought to the table. Wentz was the most sacked quarterback in football.
More so than anything, Reich brings more structure to the offense. Often times, Wentz would find himself making dumb decisions trying to carry a horrendous supporting cast. Everything Wentz did poorly this past year is correctable. It’s not an accident Pederson got fired. We found out quickly that Reich was the mastermind of the 2017 Eagles title team.
Put the Colts in the Super Bowl conversation. This is just the beginning. Chris Ballard has the opportunity to flood this roster with talent by keeping his cap flexibility and draft equity. The Colts are the winners of the NFL offseason and it hasn’t even started yet.
