What the Carson Wentz trade means for the Washington Football Team
On Thursday morning, the Philadelphia Eagles finally pulled a trigger on a trade involving Carson Wentz. They sent their disgruntled quarterback to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2021 third-round pick and a conditional 2022 second-round pick and wrapped up what was an astounding fall from grace for Wentz in Philly.
Once an MVP candidate, Wentz had a disastrous season with the Eagles. He was playing with minimal weapons and behind a patchwork offensive line, and it showed in his performance. He led the league in interceptions with 15 and was benched for Jalen Hurts late in the season.
The Colts are banking on Wentz regaining his MVP-type form alongside Frank Reich, who helped coach the Eagles to the Super Bowl. The gamble was a worthwhile one for them, as they had the cap space needed to absorb Wentz’s contract and didn’t have to give up too much draft capital to get him.
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What the Carson Wentz trade means for the Washington Football Team
Of course, this trade will also have an impact on the Washington Football Team. They are still heavily involved in the quarterback market, so any move a team makes across the league will impact Washington. The Wentz trade is no exception.
First of all, it means that Washington didn’t truly pursue or overpay for Wentz. If they were going to get him, they probably would’ve had to pay a premium to the Eagles, who might not be too excited about trading him within the division unless it was their best offer. Washington realized that and in order to avoid overpaying for a potential lemon — as they did in the Donovan McNabb trade — they decided not to make a big-time effort to go after Wentz. Kudos to the front office for evaluating the situation properly.
Additionally, the Wentz trade takes the Colts out of the mix for a quarterback. Armed with the 21st overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and ample cap space, the Colts were a prime candidate to execute a big move at the QB position. Whether that was trading for a top player or moving up in the draft to grab a promising rookie, they were going to be in the mix.
Now, the Colts have their guy, and it’s a guy that Washington didn’t appear to have much interest in. That’s good news for Washington as they will now have less competition for the QBs on the market that they actually do want.
Finally, it’s also worth noting that the Eagles are dealing with some quarterback uncertainty of their own after the Wentz trade. Is Jalen Hurts going to be the guy? Will the team draft someone? Will they sign a cheap veteran to compete with Hurts? All lower-budget options are on the table, but no definitive answer exists.
While Washington is dealing with a similar problem with their signal-callers, they have more depth than the Eagles do and are built to compete for the division title once again. Washington also has more cap space available to upgrade their team, so it puts them ahead of the curve against yet another NFC East foe.
Of course, the Eagles’ uncertain QB situation could come back to bite Washington if the Eagles do opt for a quarterback with the No. 6 pick, but Washington still has more avenues to upgrade the QB spot than the Eagles do.
When assessing this whole situation, it looks like Washington will be an indirect winner from this move, if only because it throws the Eagles into more turmoil.
What WFT should consider trading for a QB. dark. Next
Now, all eyes will be on Washington’s plans at quarterback. Whether they target some available options on the trade market, sign a cheap free agent with upside, or go after a quarterback of the future in the 2021 NFL Draft, it seems like they are still weighing their options as they look to make a move.