As of Thursday, Carson Wentz is officially an Indianapolis Colt. In hindsight, it seems that it didn’t take much to acquire the former Eagles quarterback, but this trade goes deeper than the naked eye.
Like many of Chris Ballard and Frank Reich’s decisions, this could go down as easily one of the best. That says a lot after looking at some of the guys these two have drafted, traded for. If Ballard is the GM for the next decade, you can sure as hell expect to see a trophy or two raised in Indy.
Ballard has taken this team from what appeared to be a losing culture and thrown a 360 on the situation. Although Wentz wasn’t his first guy, they have to be Aesthetic to get this guy, especially Frank Reich, Reuniting with the 28-Year-old QB.
What it means for each team
Indianapolis Colts:
If there’s one thing that’s true, it’s that stats don’t lie, and in 2017 Wentz had one of the best. When you take a look at the team he was playing with, you don’t see any HUGE names at the Wide Receiver Position. Sound familiar?
When the eagles won super bowl 52 and Wentz had an unbelievable season, it all started at the O-line. Wentz coming to Indy has got to Excite not only Colts fans but General Football fans too. With a little help from F/A and a Key Target Receiver, whether that be Michael Pittman or A guy like Chris Godwin, this team is destined for success.
Deeper Dive: The Colts currently hold the 21st pick in the Draft. Just warning Colts fans not to stay up late on draft day. Chris Ballard is known for moving back in drafts, and I don’t think that changes here. That conditional Second-round pick and the third included in the trade for Wentz can be pretty valuable if used right.
If you go back to recent drafts, the colts are amazing when scouting and getting “their guy.” Names like Darius Leonard, Braden Smith, Jonathan Taylor, Rock Ya-Sin. It can be argued that the colts draft better deeper into the rounds so that pick could come back to bite us if Wentz doesn’t live up to the hype.
Philadelphia Eagles:
With new HC Nick Sirianni, the Eagles are looking at building this thing from the ground up again. This started with dishing the young rock slinger over to Indianapolis, which was Sirianni’s old stomping grounds. Pretty ironic, huh.
With the right plan, this team has potential but not right off the bat. Their Wide Receiving core struggled throughout the season, unable to find a guy that would take control and be that #1 target. The Eagles have a couple of different options.
Deeper Dive:
The Eagles didn’t win this trade by any means, but they did play their cards right in some aspects. They were asking for a First. No team straight up offered a first (Because Carson isn’t worth a first).
What the colts did was give up a 3rd this year and a Conditional Second Rounder next year. Now fast forward to the end of the next season. Say Wentz plays more than 75% of snaps for the colts or plays 70%, and the colts make the playoffs. That conditional second then turns into a first. The Eagles could get lucky here and come away with the first.
They need to depend on the outcome of Wentz season in Indy. Backtrack to this year’s draft. The eagles own the 6th pick, as well as eight others. If the Eagles can draft somewhat well, they can definitely make a stab at the top spot in their respective division.
Wentz has a lot of pressure on him this season, as well as Sirianni, Hurts, and the Eagles. This trade can be looked at as a win for both teams, but with the Eagles track record for drafting, I just don’t see those picks being used the way that they should. If Wentz plays like his MVP-like form back in 17’ this trade should go down as one of the best for Ballard and the Colts, but only time will tell.