Broncos should probably stay out of the Carson Wentz race
The Denver Broncos were ‘in’ on the Matthew Stafford trade sweepstakes. Now that Stafford is a member of the Los Angeles Rams, what’s the next play for Denver Broncos GM George Paton and this coaching staff? Could it be Carson Wentz?
When the Philadelphia Eagles fired head coach Doug Pederson, most people thought it was because the team had chosen Wentz over Pederson, but it appears as though Wentz is still on his way out of the City of Brotherly Love.
What will his next NFL destination be?
It could be with the Indianapolis Colts, who have former Eagles assistant Frank Reich as their head coach. Wentz and Reich have plenty of successful history together.
It could also be with the Chicago Bears, who are desperate for a solution at quarterback and have some ties to Wentz in the form of passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, the quarterbacks coach of the Eagles back in 2016-17 when Wentz was drafted and subsequently playing at an MVP level.
Both of those situations would present Wentz with some familiarity in coaching staff and scheme, and frankly that is something the Denver Broncos simply cannot offer.
The Broncos, at this point in time, are just not a great fit for Wentz with where he’s currently at in his career. The Eagles have to offload Wentz’s big contract to another team, but not only that, they want a similar return in a trade to what the Detroit Lions got for Matthew Stafford (two first-round picks, a third-round pick, and QB Jared Goff).
Considering Wentz is coming off of his worst year as a professional (57.4 completion percentage, 15 interceptions in 12 games, 10 fumbles, sacked 50 times) it’s going to be a miracle if the Eagles get a first-round pick for Wentz at all.
With his contract, injury history, and poor play in 2020 (he was benched for Jalen Hurts) it is going to take a change of scenery with familiarity (like the situations in Chicago or Indianapolis) to likely revive Wentz’s NFL career.
Even though Wentz was thought of very highly by John Elway coming out of the 2016 NFL Draft, the Broncos are not in a position as a roster to give up the draft capital and cap space for a guy who has not proven he can stay healthy or play at a consistently high level in recent years.
There is no question that Wentz is a good guy who embodies the quarterback position from a high-character and leadership perspective, but there are so many other question marks with him that the Broncos would be better off putting that money elsewhere in the budget.
A team like the Colts could trade for Wentz, pay the price it takes to get him, and turn his career around. Inevitably, fans in Broncos Country would complain that George Paton didn’t pay what it took to get him in that event, but situations matter for these players. Comfortability matters.
Putting Wentz in Denver’s situation where so many jobs are on the line would not be the best for his career or the careers of all the other people who would be impacted by that move.