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Nine Teams that could take a quarterback early in the 2022 NFL Draft

By Christopher Thomas

Sep 12, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Tyrod Taylor (5) attempts a pass during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 12, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Tyrod Taylor (5) attempts a pass during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 03: Carson Wentz #2 of the Indianapolis Colts looks to pass against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on October 03, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 03: Carson Wentz #2 of the Indianapolis Colts looks to pass against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on October 03, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

Indianapolis Colts

This season has been absolutely brutal for the Indianapolis Colts. After a wild card birth last year it seems unlikely that the Colts will make the playoffs for the second year in a row. Indianapolis made the move to trade for Carson Wentz after the retirement of Philip Rivers. The Colts traded a third-round pick in this past draft and a conditional second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft for Wentz. If Wentz played 75% of the snaps for 70% of the snaps and the Colts made the playoffs the Eagles would receive a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft for Wentz instead of a second.

Philadelphia let go of Wentz because he had an awful season filled with terrible decisions, a multitude of turnovers, and an inability to produce a high level of offense. They had Hurts in house already who showed more upside than Wentz and they couldn’t turn down that kind of offer. Indianapolis thought that in a different environment with less pressure than he had in Philadelphia and reuniting with his former offensive coordinator would do him some good and allow him to return to how he played a few seasons ago.

Wentz began the season looking closer to how he looked last season than how he did in his first few seasons in the league. In the first four games, Wentz has completed 63.8% of his passes for an average of 230 passing yards a game, five touchdowns, and an interception. He wasn’t turning the ball over as much as last year but he just wasn’t producing enough to put the Colts in a position to win games.

Since then Wentz appears to be more confident and looks like the player Indianapolis hoped he would be when they traded for him. In the last two games, he is completing 65.5% of his passes for an average of 312.5 passing yards per game, has thrown four touchdowns, and has zero interceptons. Not only has he looked the best he has in over a year, but the Colts’ offense has put up 30+ points a game and has been competitive in each game.

It is hard to put the early season offensive struggles all on Wentz because he has dealt with injuries along his offensive line and multiple lower leg injuries since joining the team.  Also, his best pass-catcher has been a toss-up between a second-year receiver in Michael Pittman Jr., who is still coming into his own, and a pass-catching change of pace back in Nyheim Hines. Former Pro Bowl receiver T.Y. Hilton had just returned last week. They hope that he adds a spark to this offense and plays similar to how he played towards the end of last year instead of how he began last season.

If Wentz doesn’t keep putting the Colts in a position to win games they could find themselves out of the AFC South picture they could consider benching Wentz late in the year. This is a decision that could get made around the 11th or 12th game of the season. If they bench Wentz they could get away only giving the Eagles their second-round pick.

Indianapolis could have a tough decision this offseason if they retain their first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. They will have to choose between building around Carson Wentz or finding his replacement. He has a $28.3 million cap hit and is not playing up to his price tag. If the Colts don’t add a weapon or left tackle with their first round pick they could consider taking a quarterback. In the long term, a quarterback on a rookie contract would be cheaper and could have a higher upside than Wentz.

This regime can afford to admit Wentz was a whiff and reinvest in the quarterback position without worrying about their jobs. Chris Ballard, Frank Reich, and this Colts regime have done a great job building this team and roster but have not been able to get the quarterback position right since Andrew Luck’s sudden retirement.

Indianapolis could have the rookie compete or compete with Wentz or let go of Wentz. It is unlikely they can trade Wentz, but if they did it would remove his $28.3 million cap hit from their 2022 salary cap. If he was released he would only have a $15 million cap hit and free up $13.3 million in cap space.

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