Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images. Pictured: Carson Wentz, Frank Reich
Carson Wentz was among three offensive players the Indianapolis Colts placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday, the team announced.
Wentz, wide receiver Zach Pascal and center Ryan Kelley will all miss time on the list, which initially put into question their status for Week 1 against the Seahawks.
However, according to a report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the three players are considered close contacts with a staff member who tested positive for COVID-19. Because the players themselves haven’t tested positive, the quarantine away from the team will only be five days as long as they show no symptoms and don’t test positive.
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A close contact is the best-case scenario for Wentz, who hasn’t said whether or not he’s vaccinated. The quarantine for unvaccinated players is longer than those who are vaccinated. Should he return in the minimum five days, Wentz will get six full practices in before the opener against the Seahawks on September 12.
In addition to the COVID list, Wentz is still rehabbing his foot after surgery at the beginning of August.
Should Wentz miss any time due to COVID or any other reason, back-up Jacob Eason will be the likely starter.
For those wondering, Jacob Eason is fully vaccinated. He'll run the first-team offense with Carson Wentz out.
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) August 30, 2021
At time of publish, the Colts were 2.5-point underdogs at home against the Seahawks in Week 1 and +125 on the moneyline. The total was 48.5. The Seahawks at -2.5 comes with -120 juice. All of these lines are available at DraftKings.
The Colts are +3500 to win the Super Bowl and +150 to win the AFC South. Individually, Wentz is +5000 to win the NFL MVP in his first year with the Colts after a trade from the Eagles.