WESTFIELD (Ind.) Coach Frank Reich announced Sunday that the Indianapolis Colts' quarterback Carson Wentz, Quenton Nelson, and center Ryan Kelly will only practice this week.
Wentz has been in the field since injuring his left leg on July 29, during training camp. After injuring his right leg, Nelson has been out of action since Aug. 2. Nelson and Wentz had foot surgery on August 2 and 3. Kelly has been in the hospital since July 30 with a left elbow injury.
The Colts have confirmed that Kelly will be back in practice within a few weeks. Nelson and Wentz's recovery times were given a 5- to 12-week window by the team. It will only take three weeks for both to return from their respective surgeries if they do.
It is not the expectation that all three players will participate in every drill this week. To avoid any setbacks, the coaching staff will gradually ease them back into practice. In his first five years, Wentz only missed one full season. Since joining the NFL in 2018, Nelson has never missed a single game.
Wentz and Nelson should be ready for the Colts' Week 1-game against Seattle on Sept. 12. Reich stated last week that Wentz should have at least two weeks of practice before playing in a regular season game.
Reich stated last week that "In the ideal world, we have an idea after the third preseason match and Carson would get two weeks off to prepare for the first game." That's the ideal world. He only gets one week of work. That's the next perfect world. It's possible, but I'm not sure. It could be Week 2, or Week 3. It's not yet determined. He hasn't pushed it. It's all going well, but it has not been pushed yet. We will have to wait to see how it responds to push it.
For the past two weeks, Jacob Eason has been split between Sam Ehlinger and Sam Eason as the Colts' quarterback. If Wentz isn't available for the season opener, neither player has taken over the competition to be the starting quarterback. Reich stated that he is still unsure who will be starting the preseason finale in Detroit on Friday.
Eason was 31-of-50 for 315 yards, with no interceptions or touchdowns in the preseason. Ehlinger is 18 of 28 for 225 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions.
