Colts QB Carson Wentz to undergo foot surgery, miss 5-12 weeks

WESTFIELD, Ind. — Colts quarterback Carson Wentz will undergo surgery Monday afternoon to excise a piece of his bone from his left metatarsal, a procedure that will keep the Indianapolis starter out for five to 12 weeks.

Doctors determined that Wentz unknowingly suffered a broken foot at some point in his career, likely in high school, and when the quarterback planted on his foot in practice last Thursday, a piece of the bone came loose.

Wentz and the Colts had two options after getting opinions from their team doctors and from Dr. Robert Anderson, the NFL's foremost specialist on the foot.

"The next couple of days were a discussion over well, we can live it in there, try to manage it and see how it holds up over the course of the year and take our chances, but we wanted the most predictable outcome," Colts head coach Frank Reich said. "Let's get the piece out of there, begin the rehab process and plan for the long haul."

NFL RECORD PROJECTIONS: Can Tom Brady, Buccaneers repeat as Super Bowl champs?

The Colts decided to take care of the injury immediately. Dr. David Porter of Methodist Sports Medicine will perform the surgery at 4 p.m. Monday.

By making the decision to perform surgery, the Colts know that there is a possibility Wentz could miss games during the regular season — potentially as many as seven games in a worst-case scenario.

Indianapolis decided it was better to deal with Wentz's absence now, rather than to lose Wentz halfway through the season in the middle of a playoff race.

"If we rehab, it's going to be fine in a couple of weeks, but if it creeps back up in the middle of the season and then you're out five to 12 weeks, that's not going to work," Reich said. "Let's get this on the front end and hope for the best. ... We've got a good roster. If he has to miss a game or two, we'll be fine."

Indianapolis currently has only one quarterback on the roster, recently-signed Brett Hundley, who has taken snaps in an NFL game.

For the moment, second-year quarterback Jacob Eason is the Colts starter. Eason, a fourth-round pick in the 2020 draft, was essentially forced to take a redshirt year in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic's effect on the schedule.

"I had a good conversation with Jacob yesterday," Reich said. "He's got to get ready."

"We asked the two best doctors in the world what the time frame was, and the answer is five to 12 weeks," Reich said. "It's a big range, and there's no way to know where you're going to fall on that continuum until you get into the rehab process. Obviously, we're optimistic and hopeful we can be on the front end of that, but the reality is, you can be anywhere on that spectrum."

The Colts are aware of examples of athletes who returned quickly from the injury, including a local basketball player Reich declined to name. There are also examples of athletes who have taken a long time to recover.

Reich is hopeful Wentz will be back on the early end of the scale.

"Knowing Carson, I'm optimistic," Reich said. "Knowing that this is the type of injury you don't have to be pain-free to play with. I know Carson's level of toughness. I know he can play with pain. With this injury, listening to the doctors you have to get to an acceptable level of pain, and then you can start playing."

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Carson Wentz foot injury: Colts QB could be out up to 12 weeks