The Colts made a bet that quarterback Carson Wentz can rebound when they traded for him earlier this offseason and the team’s owner isn’t underselling the importance of that outcome.
During an appearance on 107.5 The Fan, Jim Irsay noted the importance of building an entire roster by pointing out how offensive line struggles impacted Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. He also noted that the makeup of other positions isn’t going to amount to much if the Colts can’t get Wentz back on the track he was on earlier in his career.
“Let’s be honest about the situation, how well is Carson Wentz going to do, I think that is really going to dictate just how far we go,” Irsay said. “That’s just reality. I’m not saying that as a headline. Now, he needs support. He needs people around him. We saw the Super Bowl and Mahomes with no tackles. He looked pedestrian. That’ll happen because you need support. But, really, if Frank Reich can get Carson Wentz’s play to an extremely high level and we feel that he can, and Carson, unquestionably, has every single tool mentally, physically, emotionally to do that, then you’ve got something special. There’s no doubt about it. That’s what I know Colts fans will be looking to see, just how good can Carson Wentz get? That’s really the intriguing question that everyone has and only time will tell.”
The Colts have had a different starting quarterback in each of Reich’s years with the team and they’ve been able to advance to the playoffs twice. That speaks well of the job Reich and General Manager Chris Ballard have done building the roster, but getting a long-term answer at the most important position on the field would be a welcome development in Indianapolis.