Colts: Carson Wentz injury history proves Indy must be more careful

It feels like months ago that the Indianapolis Colts announced Carson Wentz would undergo foot surgery and miss between 5-12 weeks.

At that point, fans were hoping the Colts would still have something to play for by the time Wentz returned. If he missed the first four games and Indy went winless during that stretch, their season would likely be over.

It’s funny how quickly things can change, because Wentz was back practicing on Monday seemingly without any limitations.

While Wentz obviously isn’t at full strength yet, he was making cuts and delivering throws on the run with ease. It’s no doubt an encouraging sign, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t plead the Colts to be careful with their QB.

Let’s remember we’re talking about a player with an extensive injury history over his five seasons in the league … and it dates back to high school!

The Colts need to be careful with their management of Carson Wentz.

Let’s get one thing clear. Fans should undoubtedly get their hopes up. The fact Wentz returned much earlier than the five-week timetable is huge and suggests he’ll be under center for Week 1 of the regular season.

However, the last thing the Colts need is for Wentz to feel like he needs to prove something to the organization after he got injured just days into training camp. The 28-year-old knows folks hold his injury history against him, but that doesn’t mean he should be rushing back.

Wentz showing off for fans on Monday is one thing, but for him to be back out there on Tuesday going through the same drills? That’s just not good for our blood pressure. Why not give him a day off or limit him to walkthroughs?

We get that Wentz needs to learn the playbook and the best way to do that is in practice against the first-team defense. He also needs to develop chemistry with his receivers. However, we’d feel a lot better about his return if the Colts were exercising some semblance of caution with their franchise quarterback, even after he returns from the COVID list.

Are we overreacting? Maybe, but with all due respect to Jacob Eason and Sam Ehlinger (who can’t even play Week 1 anyway), this Indianapolis team has no chance of competing for the playoffs this season if Wentz isn’t under center orchestrating the offense.

We love that he wants to be out there, but let’s not push him too much, please. Regardless of how strong he feels, we’re still talking about an injury-prone QB who’s less than a month removed from foot surgery.

Carson Wentz injury history and updates

With so many concerns about Colts quarterback Carson Wentz's durability, here's a complete breakdown of his injury history.