A week and a half ago, I wrote a piece about where I believed all of the quarterbacks whirling around in the rumor mill would play next season. Only three have totally come to fruition thus far. Rodgers didn’t go to Denver. He stayed in Green Bay. Wilson didn’t stay in Seattle. He went to Denver. Wentz, however, did in fact, end up in Washington. I may get everything else wrong, but at least I got something. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, huh?
What does this mean for Washington and Indianapolis though? Per reports, they traded away their second and third-round picks this year, as well as a third-rounder next year, in exchange for Wentz and the Colts’ second-rounder this year. Washington will also take on the entirety of Wentz’s $28 million cap hit. I got to say, this seems perfect for Indianapolis.
Indy doesn’t have a first-round selection this year thanks to their deal for Wentz last season, but by dealing him away, at least they were able to trade up in the second round. They’re now in a prime position to draft someone like Skyy Moore with the 42nd overall pick. As long as they can find a serviceable quarterback to hand the ball off to Jonathan Taylor and toss short little ins, hitches, drags, slants, and screens to Michael Pittman and whoever they get at 42. And… boom! The Colts are set!
They have more cap space to work with, which could be used to re-sign guys like Eric Fisher and Mark Glowinski. They’d pretty much be coming into next season with more cap space, more picks in the 2024 draft, and hopefully an upgrade at quarterback. For a team that was one win against Jacksonville away from reaching the postseason, you can’t ask for much better. Who is that quarterback they need to bring in? It looks like it’s going to be Jimmy Garoppolo — that is, if the reports are to be believed. I still believe Teddy Bridgewater would be a better option for the Colts considering he’d be cheaper and wouldn’t cost them any draft capital, but that’s just my opinion. Whether they choose Garoppolo, Bridgewater, or someone out of left field like Jameis Winston, I like this trade for the Colts.
The Commanders, on the other hand, are a different story. While I believe trading for Wentz pushes the team closer to a division title, they still aren’t competing for a Super Bowl any time soon. All this trade does is make their passing attack slightly more formidable. They’ll still be a run-first offense that lives and dies by the success of Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic. They still have just the third-best quarterback in their division (yes, I like Jalen Hurts more). While I can’t wait to see what McLaurin can do with an upgrade at quarterback, this trade doesn’t really do much for the team as a whole. Their Super Bowl odds haven’t changed at all.
There just isn’t much to like here if you’re a Commanders fan. You traded down in the second round. You improved at quarterback, but not in any way that will make a serious impact on the NFC East, and the guy you spent years cheering against is now someone you’re supposed to cheer for, only now, his best days are well behind him. That’s a lot to take in, and aside from seeing what McLaurin can do, there aren’t many positives to take away.
Yes, the Colts will have their sixth different Week 1 starter in as many years, but based on all the reports claiming that the Colts’ front office and some players weren’t happy with Wentz, it was only a matter of time before he was traded away. Even if they downgrade at quarterback, the Colts got what they could for someone they didn’t want, and that’s a win in my books.