Colts: Bleacher Report’s rankings think highly of Carson Wentz trade

In a vacuum, it’s easy to understand why so many Indianapolis Colts fans were up in arms with the team’s decision to trade for Carson Wentz. Not only did the eye test prove that he was unplayable last season, but he had the statistics to back it up.

For context, the former No. 2 overall pick finished at or near the basement of the league in completion percentage, passer rating, yards per attempt, and even interceptions, despite being benched for the final four games.

While those numbers validate the fan base’s reservations, however, the fact that Indy paid the minimum to acquire Wentz should really cancel everything out.

After all, the Panthers just acquired Sam Darnold, a player with zero track record that suggests he’s a starting-caliber quarterback (let alone an elite one) for a similar trade package — second-, fourth- and sixth-round picks — that the Colts used to land Wentz.

If that trade didn’t prove that Indy got an absolute steal with Wentz, then nothing does, and it seems Bleacher Report is in lockstep with that opinion.

In their annual ranking of the five best moves of the offseason, the Wentz trade unsurprisingly came in at the top spot.

Bleacher Report is a big fan of the Colts’ decision to trade for Carson Wentz.

We might be biased, but Bleacher Report simply could not rationalize omitting the Wentz deal from the top spot on this list.

It might not have looked like it at the time the trade, but when you consider the Darnold deal and what the Rams gave up to pry Matthew Stafford from Detroit (Jared Goff, two first-round picks and a third-rounder), it proves that the Colts made out like bandits in this blockbuster.

As if that wasn’t enough evidence, the 49ers unloaded three-first-round picks to move up to the No. 3 overall pick to presumably nab one of the top QB prospects, which is a massive risk given that this year’s pool is largely a crap shoot behind Trevor Lawrence.

While the Stafford deal drastically improves the Rams’ championship odds, the sheer haul they gave up to pry him from Detroit makes their next few seasons feel like Super Bowl or bust. The same cannot be said for the Colts, who didn’t mortgage their future to land Wentz.

We haven’t even gotten to the situation Wentz is walking into. Not only do the Colts flaunt one of the league’s most potent rushing attacks, but they have a sound defense, and he’ll be reunited with Frank Reich, who was his offensive coordinator for his best season with the Eagles.

There’s no doubting that Wentz has to rectify his reckless style of play, like holding on to the ball for too long or trying to be the hero by throwing into traffic, but we like to think an overdue change of scenery, a full offseason of work, and an improved roster will guide him through that transition.

Bottom line? Bleacher Report shouldn’t be the only media outlet that ranks the Wentz trade as the offseason’s best move, because, given his upside and how little the Colts gave up to acquire him, it clearly has a leg up on every other blockbuster transaction.

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