Colts quarterback Carson Wentz will require foot surgery and is expected to miss between five and 12 weeks, head coach Frank Reich announced Monday.
Initial reports last week said Wentz suffered a foot injury at the end of practice on Thursday, and Reich noted Monday that Wentz had an old foot injury dating back perhaps to high school. Over time, according to Reich, that broken bone came loose and caused pain. It will now be removed in the upcoming procedure.
Offensive coordinator Marcus Brady said Friday that Wentz felt a "twinge in his foot" when he rolled out and planted to throw late in Thursday's practice.
"Look, I can tell you this—we’re excited about Carson,” general manager Chris Ballard recently told Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer. “I left practice the other day giddy. And we’re still excited about Carson. Little setback. That’s O.K., we’ll figure it out. We’ve got some young quarterbacks on the roster that we like. ... [But] you know how you walk out on the field and you can feel a player? I remember Quenton Nelson coming out. I could feel Quenton. You can feel Carson. You can feel the power in his body.
“There’s nothing he can’t do athletically, or at the quarterback position, that all the great ones can do. That’s what’s got us really excited about him.”
Wentz is in his first training camp with the Colts after an offseason trade from the Eagles. He spent the first five years of his career in Philadelphia after the Eagles selected him with the No. 2 pick in the 2016 NFL draft.
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Wentz's 2020 campaign ended in Week 13 after he was benched during the Eagles' loss to the Packers. He led the league in interceptions (15) and sacks taken (50) as Philadelphia was just 3-8-1 in games he started.
Rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts got the start for the rest of the year as the Eagles finished fourth in the NFC East (4-11-1).
Wentz dealt with a number of injuries during his first five years in the NFL. He suffered a season-ending torn ACL late in the 2017 season. He has played a full season just twice in his career.
Indianapolis second-year quarterback Jacob Eason took the snaps as the starter in practice last Friday and is likely to be the team's starter going forward.
