Eagles Have Already Won The Wentz Trade Thanks To Latest Injury

Almost five months since the Philadelphia Eagles traded the Second Overall Pick in the 2016 NFL Draft to the Indianapolis Colts, the Carson Wentz saga still continues to impact Philadelphia's organization. On Monday, Colts Head Coach Frank Reich announced that Wentz will undergo Foot Surgery and his time frame to return to action is a 5-12 weeks window. Reich also noted that this foot issue dates back to High School where he suffered an injury and over the years since then, the broken bone came loose and is causing so much pain it necessitates surgery.

This news means that the odds are more tenuous for the Eagles getting that Conditional First Round from the Colts in the 2022 NFL Draft. If Wentz starts at least 13 games this upcoming season, the Eagles would still get the First Round Pick and this Colts 5-12 weeks window does leave that possibility open. If Wentz doesn't play the first three weeks of the season and then returns for Week Four at the Miami Dolphins, that is eight weeks from August 4th so that falls within the Colts announced time frame. Another Condition for the First Round pick is if Wentz starts at least 12 games and the Colts reach the playoffs, the Eagles still get that coveted pick; that would mean a Week Five return for Wentz and nine weeks projected recovery time.

Either way, the Wentz deal is a win for the Eagles whether they get the Conditional First Round pick or just a second rounder in the 2022 NFL Draft. This will be the 5th different injury that will force Carson Wentz to miss NFL Preseason, Regular Season and/or Postseason action:

*2016 Rib Fracture: missed rest of Preseason games

*2017 Torn ACL and LCL: Missed rest of regular season and all of postseason games plus beginning of 2018 season

*2018 Fractured Vertebra: missed rest of season and 2018 Playoffs

*2019 Concussion: Hit by Jadeveon Clowney knocks Wentz out of playoff game versus Seahawks

*2020 Foot surgery: Expected to miss 5-12 weeks which means all of NFL Preseason and at least the first couple games of the regular season

So the Eagles traded an injury prone Quarterback and found a team who gave Philadelphia a high draft pick for a guy coming off the worst season of his five year NFL career. In 2020, Wentz led the NFL with 15 Interceptions and the Third Most Fumbles in the League (10 Total/Six Fumbles Lost). Wentz and all of his "issues" are now the Colts problem, no longer is he the enigma of Philadelphia. Done are the days of Eagles fans guessing how many games Wentz's Backup will play at Quarterback in a season or asking which Philly Sports star is more injury prone: Wentz or Embiid. No more debates about Wentz's ball security issues with 29 Fumbles Lost and 50 Interceptions over five seasons along with 1,133 Yards Lost on Sacks thanks to Wentz's propensity for holding onto the ball for more than 3 second on many plays.

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Philadelphia moved on from the "Damaged Goods" and got a Quarterback who his teammates loved and respect in Jalen Hurts. Hurts is a breathe of fresh air for an Eagles organization that saw their starting Quarterback constantly give the media generic and oblivious answers while giving the fans anxiety every time he was hit or ran out of the pocket. Over five seasons, Wentz backups played in 17 Regular and Postseasons games combined; Thanks to Wentz, the Eagles organization dished out 29.95 Millions dollars over five years to Chase Daniel, Nick Foles, Josh McCown, and Nate Sudfeld.

Philadelphia moving on from Wentz was the right thing to do and now that he is no longer their conundrum to worry about, getting a First or Second round pick in return for him is a Win for them. Only time will tell if the move with pay off for the Colts.