Colts: Former Eagles assistant helped get Carson Wentz trade to finish line

The Indianapolis Colts probably made the most talked about move of the offseason when they traded for Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz.

So many question marks surround the former No. 2 overall pick and it all boiled over in 2020. He had his worst professional season and was benched for the final four games in favor of rookie Jalen Hurts. And he has a four-year, $128 million extension kicking in for the 2021 season.

Who’s the real Carson Wentz? The 2017 MVP candidate or the lost soul who couldn’t even reach the finish line last year?

We truly don’t know, but former Eagles assistant (and now Colts assistant) Press Taylor helped assure head coach Frank Reich that a trade for the former North Dakota State star was worthwhile.

Here’s the latest from Zak Keefer of The Athletic:

"“’Do you believe in the player, still?’ Reich asked Taylor after he arrived in Indianapolis this winter.“’And what he’s capable of with everything that happened around him?’“Taylor had a viewpoint worth asking about. He was there every day as it crumbled in Philadelphia, in the meeting rooms with Wentz, on the practice field and the sidelines as the losses piled up and the season went south. So Reich wanted to know: Was this a shot worth taking? Or was it something the Colts should stay away from?“Taylor didn’t blink. A no-brainer, he called it.”“’I 100 percent believe in Carson as a quarterback,’ Taylor told his boss.”"

Like Wentz, Taylor rose the ranks the Eagles and was then seemingly ostracized when everything came crashing down. Sounds like classic Philly, doesn’t it?

But Taylor arrived in Indy before Wentz and was among the insightful voices that helped Reich and general manager Chris Ballard come to a decision in their search for a new quarterback, which has been viewed as the “missing piece” on this well-balanced roster.

And isn’t it great hearing such assurance from the man himself? Taylor, a senior offensive assistant under Reich, spoke to the media on Tuesday and talked about how and why he believes in Wentz as a quarterback even though his last 39 starts have largely been a mixed bag.

But many seem to forget the Eagles organization as a whole began to decline precipitously after that Super Bowl victory. Injuries, free agency departures, coaching departures, poor free agency signings/draft decisions by the front office, among other things, continued to foster that poor environment around Wentz, which undoubtedly contributed to his struggles.

And if Taylor, the man who saw the peak and rock bottom, is anyone to believe, it’s that a career revival could be around the corner for the QB.

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