Should Colts keep Carson Wentz and prioritize adding weapons?

The Indianapolis Colts are determined to move on from Carson Wentz but does he deserve another chance with better weapons?

After Week 16 of the 2021 season, the Indianapolis Colts looked like legit Super Bowl contenders. However, they soon suffered a disastrous collapse that led to Indy missing the playoffs.

Now the Colts are determined to right their wrongs and continue building the team to compete for a championship. Indy has decided part of that process is moving on from Carson Wentz.

Wentz had few struggles throughout the year but he really failed to deliver in the final two must-win games of the season. However, with every passing day, more blame gets placed on Wentz’s shoulders for Indy’s meltdown.

With the news of the Colts likely to trade or release Wentz, the narrative has become that this is a loaded team that is a quarterback away from a Super Bowl. That’s a disservice to Carson.

While Wentz could certainly be better, Indy is far from a perfect team. Indianapolis could be better defensively, but they could really be better offensively in two spots that would greatly benefit Wentz.

One of those spots is the left tackle position, every quarterback improves with better protection. The other spot is the receiving group. Wentz missed some passes last season but he also isn’t working with an impressive receiving unit.

Could Carson Wentz improve if Colts get better receivers?

Michael Pittman Jr. had a breakout season as Indy’s No. 1 receiver and Jonathan Taylor established himself as the best running back in the NFL. After those two, the Colts’ weapons were inconsistent.

Zach Pascal regressed from what he’s previously done and both TY Hilton and Parris Campbell were battling injury. Nyheim Hines often got forgotten about in play calling and Mo Alie-Cox and Jack Doyle offered as much as they could as tight ends.

Overall, this was a solid group that Indy could have won more games with but it’s not a loaded group where all fingers should just point to Wentz for the Colts’ subpar passing game.

The good news is, Indy can change that. Indianapolis is in a position to draft talented wide receivers and can also aggressively pursue elite receivers and tight ends in free agency.

With a successful offseason, the Colts can return for the 2022 season with a much more dangerous cast for the quarterback to work with. Who that quarterback will be is the question that Indy is trying to figure out.

The truth is, Indianapolis probably isn’t going to do much better than Carson Wentz. If there’s a path for the Colts to land Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson, they should definitely travel it. However, it doesn’t look like those roads will open up.

If that’s the case, Indy is better off throwing everything they can at top receivers and tight ends and sticking with Carson Wentz. While Wentz may not be the most desired quarterback, bringing him back with a loaded roster would be a much better option than settling for a quarterback like Mitch Trubisky.

The Colts shouldn’t just move on from Wentz just to do it. If they do, they are at risk of moving backward. Indy’s top goal should be getting as many weapons as possible. If Indianapolis does that and is unable to upgrade from Wentz, he will be better set up for success in his second year in Indy.

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