The Chicago Bears had feelers out on potentially trading Nick Foles for most of the offseason. It made sense. With Andy Dalton and Justin Fields in town, hanging onto him as a #3 backup just didn’t make much sense. Not at his $4 million price tag and not with the value he has as a primary backup. The problem has been a lack of potential suitors. Thus far only the New York Jets seemed like an obvious landing spot. That may have just changed.
The Indianapolis Colts received bad news on Friday when it was revealed that starting quarterback Carson Wentz sustained what sounds like a serious foot injury. One that may require surgery to fix. He is already expected to miss the entire preseason and depending on the severity he could miss regular season games too. This puts a team with playoff aspirations in a difficult spot.
Their quarterback depth isn’t exactly inspiring.
Their two best options with Wentz out are former 4th round pick Jacob Eason and 6th round rookie Sam Ehlinger. Both have never taken a single snap in a regular season game in their careers. The odds of them holding things together for any length of time is remote. That is why speculation has already begun that Indy might go hunting for some veteran help. In such a case, Foles makes by far the most sense.
From Inside Training Camp Live: #Colts QB Carson Wentz is expected to miss the rest of the preseason and faces the prospect of foot surgery, sources say. He’s hoping to play through it, but surgery to repair would likely mean he’s on the sidelines when the season starts. pic.twitter.com/Z5GhLiW2Cg
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 30, 2021
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Carson Wentz is out "indefinitely" with a foot injury, and if the new #Colts QB has to miss considerable time, @richeisen said Indy needs to trade for THIS person ASAP:#NFL #TrainingCamp #BDN pic.twitter.com/fNNzpIjKZs
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) July 30, 2021
The connection that matters here is Frank Reich. He is the Colts head coach and won a Super Bowl with Foles back in 2017 when he was offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles. The two know each other well. Indianapolis has over $14 million in cap space. More than enough to handle his contract and it likely won’t require more than a late round pick to make a deal happen.
Nick Foles isn’t pushing for anything though
According to a source, the veteran QB isn’t anxious to leave Chicago. He’s accepted his role as the #3 guy and has no issues working to help prepare Fields for the NFL. Of course, that might change with the prospect of getting to play this year. Something that would be almost certain if he were traded to the Colts. Playing indoors behind a solid offensive line on a team that is capable of competing for the playoffs.
It comes down to a couple of factors. How serious Wentz’s injury is and how much confidence the Colts have in Eason. Early reports are Wentz avoided a Lisfranc injury. Something that likely would’ve ended his season. However, he could still be out a long time. If Eason doesn’t pass the eye test, then Nick Foles should become an obvious alternative.
Action could happen once the diagnosis becomes clearer.
Until then, Foles will remain in a Bears uniform. Word is he’s looked sharp in practices thus far, having his way with the 3rd string defense. If the Colts do plan to make a move, the sooner the better. They’d have to get him in and up to speed on their offense as quickly as possible. Time would be against them. One can only imagine how Wentz would react to such news considering how Foles’ shadow haunted him in Philadelphia after the Super Bowl win.
