Right before the month of May came to a close, the Indianapolis Colts made a move to sign Nick Foles.
The former Super Bowl winning quarterback going to Indianapolis has raised some questions.
These questions are mainly about what role he’s set to play with the Colts in 2022.
The team already has Matt Ryan, who they got in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons earlier in 2022.
Sam Ehlinger was already their backup, so what is the need for Foles?
Frank Reich Sees Potential In Foles
Head coach Frank Reich and Foles’ history starts back in Philadelphia, when he was the offensive coordinator for the Eagles.
He’s seen firsthand how Foles can lead a team through the playoffs and to a win in the Super Bowl.
It’s also the reason his eyes have been on the former Eagles quarterback since he became the head coach in Indianapolis.
Indianapolis Colts HC Frank Reich said he has been waiting to sign Nick Foles since the moment he arrived in Indy. pic.twitter.com/lX7HLzJMWj
— NFL Trade News (@NFLTradeNews) June 3, 2022
However, Foles won’t be that starting quarterback for the team.
For now, he’s playing as a great backup option for Ryan, in case anything happens to him this season.
But him being with the Colts also means if Ryan shows any signs of an inability to win games, Foles is there to save the day.
With Reich wanting this deal since day one, it’s clear that he’s getting the quarterback he wants for the team.
However, is his plan to turn him into the starter after Ryan retires, or does he only want him as a backup plan?
Will Foles Be The Next Starting QB In Indy?
With Foles signing a two-year deal with the Colts, there’s always the chance that he could become a starter there.
It’s what happened with him in both Philadelphia and Chicago.
However, the situation behind those two teams doing this wasn’t because he was their choice for starting quarterback.
They only had him start games because of injuries and, in Chicago’s case, poor play by their starting QB.
If there’s a concern that Ryan can’t play at a high level in 2022, Reich might make that switch to a QB he knows very well.
However, should Indianapolis choose this if things get shaky with Ryan?
Relying On Players From His Past Could Be A Fatal Error
Reich has a history of bringing ex-Eagles players to play with him in Indy.
I really like Frank Reich but I think he has depended upon past relationships too much, to a fault – Carson Wentz, now Nick Foles, though I think he should be a great backup. And what about Eric Fisher. There are plenty of good/great players available.
— DEBRA (@DebKaz317) June 23, 2022
However, his relying on those players from his past is seen by some Colts fans as a fault.
With Carson Wentz last year, the team gave up some high value draft picks for someone that couldn’t deliver in a critical game to make the playoffs.
But after one brief season, the team desired a new quarterback, sending Wentz to Washington and getting Ryan from Atlanta.
While Wentz’s time in Indy saw him fail, it also saw him not have time to show he could succeed.
The same might happen with Foles if he replaces Ryan and doesn’t take the team to the playoffs.
NEXT: NFL Insider Shares A Hopeful Matt Ryan Comparison
Jason Khuong says
In the right system, with an offensive line that can protect him, and a good coach, Nick Foles is a great QB, more than most pundits give him credit for. He is one of the most accurate deep passer in the NFL and has shown the ability to win when his team is down by one or two scores in clutch time. Nick is the only active QB who has two displays in the Hall of Fame, most TD passes in a single game (7) and MVP of Superbowl 52. He also shared the NFL record for most consecutive completions in a game. People rarely mention that Nick was a Pro Bowl MVP as well as Superbowl MVP. In my opinion, Nick should be the starter and Matt Ryan should be his backup. One of them outduelled Tom Brady in a Superbowl while the other lost to Tom Brady in a Superbowl despite having one of the biggest lead in Superbowl history.
James says
People also fail to mention what Foles did in 2018 – the year following his Super Bowl MVP. Once again was asked to come in and save the season (check out the game against Houston Texans in 2018 – one of the best performances you will ever see from a QB – 471 passing yards – check it out). In 2018 he took the team to the playoffs in New Orleans and came one dropped pass away from making it to the NFC Championship game in LA and perhaps another Super Bowl. Also, regarding his 7 TD’s in one game – it is never mentioned that he did not even play the 4th qtr! Lots of extremely impressive stat’s that are rarely mentioned.
Jason says
I love Nick Foles, i remember his very first season with the Eagles after he was drafted. He really impressed me during the preseason, and I thought to myself “this man is our franchise QB and could bring us a SB victory”. And i was both right and wrong at the same time. His first season was incredible, he was a FG short of beating a very talented Saints team in first playoff game of his career, was very disappointed in this loss as I was at the game that cold day. But than Chip Kelly happened and traded him away for always injured Sam Bradford. Than of course Eagles bring him back in 2017 and he rescues the team after Wentz’s ACL injury and takes us on the most amazing SB run in NFL history. Than of course after winning the SB and MVP, and saving us yet again in 2018 to make the Playoffs due another Wentz injury, Eagles stupidly let him sign elsewhere cause Wentz was our “Franchise QB”. And of course we all know how that went with Wentz. Wish Foles wouldve been given a solid chance to be the Eagles Franchise QB, maybe we’d have multiple SB wins with Foles as the starter, who knows.