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Welcome back to my new series for this season: “Quarterback Changes – Helpful or Hurtful?”. I’ll be breaking down one quarterback per conference this week and next to determine whether their addition to their new teams is helpful or hurtful and what their impact will be in their new homes. Check out last week’s quarterback changes for 2022 fantasy football part one, where I shed some light on the situations in Denver and Carolina.
Carson Wentz (QB – WAS)
If you’ve ever read anything I’ve ever written before, you know I’m not the biggest Carson Wentz fan. He’s found himself in terrible situations with lackluster receivers over the past several years. He is not the Carson Wentz of 2017. However, he could be in for a significant change this season.
The Indianapolis Colts traded Wentz to the Washington Commanders this offseason in a deal that lacked the excitement and thrills of other trades we saw in early 2022. Unless your name is Carson Wentz.
He finally has a team that is full of capable receivers again. His primary receiving target was Michael Pittman in Indy and Jonathan Taylor for rushing. What was Wentz supposed to do with two viable options? Sure, he also had Nyheim Hines (310 receiving yards, one touchdown over 57 targets), Zach Pascal (384 receiving yards, three TDs over 69 targets) and Mo Alie-Cox (316 receiving yards, four TDs over 45 targets). However, Michael Pittman had more receiving yards than all three combined (1,084 and six TDs). It’s clear that if Wentz couldn’t connect with Pittman, he spread the ball around to all other viable receivers.
Walking into his new locker room, he sees the likes of Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Antonio Gibson, J.D. McKissic, Dyami Brown, Jahon Dotson and Logan Thomas. Not too shabby. He has multiple weapons who have proven track records and can put up big plays. However, the rotation at QB in Washington over the past several years has been shaky, and the team is looking for stability at the quarterback position.
We may just see the Wentz of the past. The one who threw for 3,296 with 33 touchdowns and only seven interceptions in 2017 and led the Eagles to the Super Bowl.
The Commanders have the easiest strength of schedule (SOS), tied with the Dallas Cowboys. That will certainly help pave a clear path for head coach Ron Rivera and his team for a successful season. With the receiving corp in Washington, Wentz might be the answer they’ve been looking for in a stable and productive QB.
Matt Ryan (QB – IND)
Now for the other side of the coin. Matt Ryan headed to Carson Wentz’s old team in the offseason and joined the Indianapolis Colts. Is he the answer to take the Colts from a 9-8 season to something a little less embarrassing than just slightly over .500? Maybe?
As stated above, Michael Pittman is really the only viable receiver that the Colts have. Jonathan Taylor leads the backfield as a monster running back and arguably the best back in the league. That’s great news for a QB like Matt Ryan. The Colts are a run-heavy team and will rely on JT to get the rock into the end zone.
It’s not that Ryan can’t throw the ball because he absolutely can. In his 14 years with the Atlanta Falcons, he’s thrown for 59,735 yards, 367 touchdowns and a completion percentage of 65.5. The man can sling and complete passes, but at 37 years old, there’s a limited amount of gas left in the tank. And it’s best to use that gas as little as possible, connecting with Pittman when he’s downfield.
Matt Ryan isn’t a particularly mobile quarterback, but he’s smart. He knows his limitations and where he can succeed. Unfortunately, Atlanta couldn’t provide a solid receiving core that was consistent for Ryan since 2016. He was a far better quarterback when he had Calvin Ridley and Julio Jones. He played just five games with Ridley in 2021 until Ridley took a temporary step away from his NFL career. Over his three-year, five-game career with Atlanta, Ridley accounted for 3,342 receiving yards and 28 touchdowns. That’s a chunk.
Ryan will have the same opportunity with Pittman that he had with Ridley. And he’s certainly better off for the Colts. Head coach Frank Reich seemingly showed promise by bringing Wentz to the team and now has to prove that he’s worthy of his title after bumbling last season.
Both Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan will likely see success on their new teams. However, Wentz is in a better position overall, and Ryan’s success will come from his intelligence and the utilization of a strong running game with Jonathan Taylor and a future top-tier receiver in Michael Pittman.
Looking ahead to next week, stick around while I give my two cents in my final article of this series and discuss Mitchell Trubisky’s move to Pittsburgh and Marcus Mariota’s new digs in Atlanta.
