Former East Carolina head coach Scottie Montgomery will return to the NFL as a running backs coach with the Colts. Montgomery, an NFL wideout in the early 2000s, was the Steelers’ wide receivers coach from 2010-12 — during which the receiver-developing franchise unearthed Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders and Mike Wallace — and East Carolina’s HC from 2016-18. Montgomery, 42, spent the past two years as Maryland’s offensive coordinator. The Colts also hired David Overstreet as assistant defensive backs coach.
Before the Super Bowl, we heard that a Carson Wentz trade could be imminent. However, the Eagles are not close to completing a deal with any of the interested teams at this time, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter). 
The Bears and Colts are among the teams eyeing No. 11, but the other clubs involved remain a mystery. It’s believed that the other teams that missed out on new Rams starter Matthew Stafford could entertain Wentz — that list includes the Broncos, Panthers, and 49ers. Of course, the Panthers and Broncos would prefer a deal for Deshaun Watson, if they can work the Texans down to a reasonable ask. One of those two players will likely be the next domino to fall in the QB carousel.
The Colts, who just lost Philip Rivers to retirement, would be a logical fit for Wentz. Wentz, meanwhile, wouldn’t mind reuniting with former mentor Frank Reich.
Publicly, the Eagles have said that they’d like to move forward with Wentz, but the North Dakota State product still wants out. Any team taking him on would also be taking on his sizable contract, which runs through 2024. However, there’s an escape hatch after the 2022 season, which helps somewhat. In any case, the Eagles won’t be able to match the Stafford package of two first-round selections and a third-rounder. Stafford, at this point, has more appeal, and the Lions took on Jared Goff‘s hefty contract in order score all of that draft capital.
The Colts are hunting for a quarterback following the retirement of Philip Rivers, but at least one individual believes the replacement is already on the roster. Jacob Eason recently told Jim Ayello of the Indianapolis Star that it’s “realistic as soon as possible” for him to compete for the Colts starting quarterback gig.
“I got a lot of work ahead of me, a lot of areas to improve and grow, but if the opportunity presents itself, I’m going to put my best foot forward and give you the best shot I can,” Eason said.
Following a standout career at Washington, Eason was a fourth-round pick by the Colts in this past year’s draft. While the rookie didn’t see the field during his first NFL season, he was able to garner the praise of GM Chris Ballard and former quarterbacks coach (and current offensive coordinator) Marcus Brady.
“I didn’t have that many opportunities to go out there and prove myself and show what I can do to these coaches and this team,” Eason said. “But there were moments in training camp where I was given the opportunity to go play and do my thing, and I did that.”
Let’s check out some more notes out of Indy…
- Speaking of quarterbacks, Ballard kept the door open on retaining backup QB Jacoby Brissett. “We like Jacoby,’’ Ballard said (via Mike Chappell of Fox59.com). “We’ve got to let that work out.’’ The 28-year-old has alternated between being a starting QB and backup QB during his four seasons with Indianapolis. Following a 2019 campaign that saw Brissett complete 60.9-percent of his passes while tossing 18 touchdowns in 15 starts, the quarterback was limited to only 48 offensive snaps in 2020. The former third-round is set to hit free agency this offseason.
- The Colts have interest in retaining a pair of free agent wideouts. Ballard said he believes veteran T.Y. Hilton can still play a significant role, and he noted the market will dictate whether the receiver returns to Indianapolis (via Kevin Bowen of 1075 The Fan on Twitter). Hilton finished the 2020 season having hauled in 56 receptions for 762 yards and five touchdowns. Meanwhile, Ballard hinted that the organization will be bringing back restricted free agent receiver Zach Pascal, presumably via a tender (via Bowen). Pascal had a career year for the Colts, surpassing or tying career highs in receptions (44), receiving yards (629), and touchdowns (five).
- Ballard also attributed Justin Houston‘s future in Indianapolis to the “market,” per Bowen on Twitter. Following an eight-year stint with the Chiefs, Houston joined the Colts on a two-year, $24MM deal prior to the 2019 season. In two seasons with the Colts, the 32-year-old has collected 69 tackles and 19 sacks in 32 starts.
Carson Wentz is expected to have a new team soon. The disgruntled Eagles quarterback is on track to be traded within the next few days, Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com report.
The Eagles are looking for a Matthew Stafford-type trade package, per the ESPN.com duo, who add the Bears and Colts have expressed interest in the five-year veteran. Other teams have inquired about Wentz as well; a trade has been brewing for a few days now.
It is not known what other teams have inquired here. Despite heading into his 13th season, Stafford brought a host of teams to the table. The Bears, Broncos, Colts, Panthers, Patriots, 49ers and Washington were in the mix for the new Rams starter. Of these teams, the Panthers and Broncos have been connected to Deshaun Watson. Wentz could prompt offers from some of these teams, but ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets this market may not be as fierce.
The Stafford deal did well to accelerate Wentz dialogue around the league, per Schefter and Mortensen, who add that some around the league believe a Wentz trade could lay the foundation for more QB swaps — such as a Sam Darnold deal. Several passers have been loosely linked to trades in what has become one of the hottest QB trade markets in many years.
Wentz’s 2020 performance and injury history will certainly dissuade teams from putting together a Stafford-type package, though Fowler notes the Eagles are expected to collect a first-round pick for Wentz. The North Dakota State product was dominant in 2017 (first in Total QBR prior to a December 2017 knee injury) and played well despite a decimated receiving corps in 2019.
The Colts certainly add up as a logical destination, having seen Philip Rivers retire. Frank Reich served as Wentz’s OC in Philly for two seasons, and Wentz ally Press Taylor is expected to join Indianapolis’ staff. The Bears, however, have ex-Eagles QBs coach John DeFilippo on staff. The Colts are projected to hold the second-most cap space, while the Bears are much lower on this list. Chicago will need to make moves to get under the cap, though the franchise has been in need at quarterback for far longer than Indianapolis.
The Eagles continue to insist they would be happy to keep Wentz, per ESPN, but he has not backed down from his desire to leave Philadelphia. The 28-year-old passer’s contract runs through 2024, though an acquiring team could get out of the contract after the 2022 season. Wentz is owed $47.2MM guaranteed through the ’22 season. However, none of his cap hits through 2024 would exceed $27MM, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
It would be the Eagles eating a sizable chunk of the former MVP candidate’s money. Philly would take on an NFL-record (by a considerable margin) $33.8MM in dead cap charges by trading Wentz. Any deal will certainly occur before the third day of the 2021 league year, when Wentz is due a $10MM roster bonus.
The Eagles have the No. 6 overall pick and appear set to have at least one other Round 1 selection and/or a Day 2 pick in this year’s draft, were they to seek an immediate upgrade on Jalen Hurts. The Eagles’ HC interviews centered around a coach who could revitalize Wentz, and a recent coaching staff meeting produced a consensus that Wentz could regain his Pro Bowl form in Philly, per Schefter and Mortensen. But it appears the Nick Sirianni hire will still precede a major quarterback change in Philadelphia.
The Eagles’ hiring of Frank Reich disciple Nick Sirianni does not seem to have changed Carson Wentz‘s stance about wanting a trade out of Philadelphia. While Eagles brass made working with Wentz a priority during the franchise’s coaching search, trade chatter surrounding the former No. 2 overall pick has reignited since the Matthew Stafford deal.
This recent trade buzz is connected to Wentz still wanting to leave Philadelphia, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter said during an appearance on 97.5 The Fanatic. Doug Pederson‘s firing was previously said to “significantly increase” the chances Wentz stayed in Philly, but the trade request the five-year veteran planned to submit appears to still be his preference.
It would cost the Eagles $34MM to trade Wentz — compared to the record $22MM it cost the Rams to ship out Jared Goff in the Stafford deal — but the team has fielded calls. They have already received “aggressive” offers for the unhappy quarterback, Tim McManus of ESPN.com reports. Despite Wentz being tied to a lucrative contract and coming off his worst season, the Eagles are still aiming for substantial compensation, per McManus.
The Lions used Goff’s high-end contract to leverage the Rams into surrendering two first-round picks. With the Eagles not as close to a Super Bowl as the Rams at present, the parameters of a Wentz trade would seemingly be different than the ones that led to Goff’s Los Angeles exit.
Wentz joins Deshaun Watson among passers seeking trades entering the 2021 league year, and the former would not fetch a haul in the same vicinity as the latter. Having Reich as their head coach and having recently hired ex-Eagles passing-game coordinator Press Taylor, the Colts line up as the team that would make perhaps the most sense for Wentz — if he is made available.
Colts GM Chris Ballard said Friday, during a radio interview with 107.5 The Fan’s Dan Dakich, the Colts are “exploring lots of options” at quarterback (Twitter link). It appears safe to expect the Colts to discuss Wentz with the Eagles, but it is uncertain what kind of offer Philly can expect. The Colts traded their first-round pick last year for DeForest Buckner but fit the profile as a suitor due to their playoff-caliber roster with a gaping hole at quarterback. With Philip Rivers retiring and Jacoby Brissett not on their 2021 payroll, the Colts also are projected to have the second-most cap space entering the 2021 league year
Here are Wednesday’s reserve/futures deals:
Carolina Panthers
Indianapolis Colts
- WR J.J. Nelson
Las Vegas Raiders
Miami Dolphins
The Texans were the last team to hire their head coach, so David Culley got a bit of a late start in building his staff. Now he’s wasting no time, making a couple of hires this week. Most importantly he’s settled on a special teams coordinator, hiring Colts assistant Frank Ross to fill that position, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Ross is a former Patriots scout who went to small school John Carroll University, which has become a feeder school for NFL coaches. Houston also hired Dino Vasso to be their new secondary coach, Wilson tweets. Vasso spent the past eight seasons as an assistant with the Eagles.
- Orr isn’t the only notable former player getting back with an NFL team. Pro Football Hall of Famer Kevin Mawae will be joining the NFL coaching ranks as well. Mawae has been hired to be an assistant offensive line coach on Frank Reich’s Colts staff, Stephen Holder of The Athletic tweets. Mawae had been an analyst under Herm Edwards at Arizona State, and he told Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that he had been hoping to land an NFL opportunity. The legendary former center spent 16 years in the league with the Seahawks, Jets, and Titans. He made eight Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro seven times during his playing days.
David Irving‘s comeback from his latest suspension produced only two Raiders games and a subsequent release from Las Vegas’ practice squad. He secured another tryout opportunity Tuesday.
The Colts are hosting the free agent defensive lineman, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The Raiders released Irving from their practice squad last month. Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus was in Dallas during Irving’s time with the team, giving the free agent D-lineman an interesting potential path to Indianapolis.
Prior to the Raiders signing Irving midway through last season, the former promising Cowboys pass rusher spent nearly two years in free agency. Drug suspensions have dogged the ex-UDFA, but once the NFL reinstated him in October, he landed a Raiders visit and contract offer within a few days.
Irving, 27, played only 40 defensive snaps with the Raiders. He spent time on the franchise’s reserve/COVID-19 list later in the season and did not return to action.
With the Cowboys, Irving ran into PED and substance-abuse suspensions but showed promise between the 2017-18 seasons. He racked up 11 sacks in that time, including a seven-sack 2017 season — during he which the interior rusher only played eight games.
- To replace Gannon, who had been the Colts’ cornerbacks coach, Indy has hired James Rowe to fill the same role, according to Joel Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. Rowe was most recently the cornerbacks coach at Appalachian State, and had previously been an assistant with Washington.
Today’s reserve/futures deals will be posted here:
Indianapolis Colts
- QB Jalen Morton, WR J.J. Nelson
Tennessee Titans
Nelson has a bit more NFL experience than your typical reserve/futures signee. A fifth-round pick of the Cardinals in 2015, Nelson made some real noise with Arizona for a while. A speedy deep-threat who has averaged a whopping 17.4 yards per reception on his 85 career catches, he had 568 yards and six touchdowns in 2016. He topped 500 yards again in 2017, but quickly fell out of favor and wasn’t re-signed after his rookie deal ran out.
He signed with the Raiders in 2019 but was released after catching only four passes, and then was in camp with the 49ers this past August before getting hurt and then cut. He signed to the Bills practice squad a month ago, but lasted only a few days in Buffalo. Still only 28, it wouldn’t be shocking if he manages to crack a roster again as a field-stretcher.