Jaguars get solid spot in AFC South QB ranking post-Carson Wentz trade

The Jaguars avoided landing in the cellar of these AFC South rankings.

Carson Wentz isn’t a bad quarterback but he isn’t great either and the bar was set pretty high in Indianapolis after Philip Rivers’ retirement last year. The Colts were and are a well-rounded team, all they needed was a signal-caller to compete for a playoff spot. After all, they had qualified for the postseason two of the three previous seasons, and they surely expected Wentz to help them get over the bump.

Instead, Indy missed the playoffs after losing the last two games of the 2021 season. You could make the case that their loss to the Jags in Week 18 put the last nail in the coffin but the truth is that there were other games the Colts should have won but didn’t. And while Wentz wasn’t the sole reason for their shortcomings, he wasn’t the solution either.

Quarterbacks are supposed to be leaders on and off the field and Wentz apparently wasn’t one. Instead, he couldn’t handle criticism and wasn’t willing to work hard to get better. Thus, it wasn’t surprising to see Indianapolis cut ties with him after just one season.

What makes the decision to trade Wentz even more baffling is the fact that the Colts don’t have a plan B at quarterback. Right now, Sam Elhinger, who hasn’t thrown a pass in the regular season, is at the top of the depth chart. Unless Indy signs a veteran signal-caller or drafts one, he will be the starter behind center in Week 1.