AFC Notes: Colts, Texans, Titans

Colts

A stroke of bad luck hit the Colts with the injury to QB Carson Wentz. The timeline of his return is vague enough that he could be out half the season or back by Week 1. In the meantime, Colts GM Chris Ballard says they’re confident with the guys on the roster for now. 

“We’ll figure it out,” Ballard said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “We’ve got some young quarterbacks on the roster that we like. It’ll be good to see Jacob Eason. He’s got a lot of talent, we’ll see what he can handle, and then we’ll adjust for what he can do, see what Sam [Ehlinger] can do, and we’ll adjust as we go forward. But … How do you win? How can you win the game? Whoever’s playing quarterback, they’re going to play the way Frank wants them to play, and we’ll try to find a way to scratch out wins.”

• Wentz could be back anywhere from five to 12 weeks, with the wide range due to the fact it just depends on how his foot responds to rehab. Colts HC Frank Reich said it helps that Wentz just has to get to a point where he can play through the injury: “This is the type of injury you don’t have to be pain-free to play. 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.”
• Reich told reporters Tuesday that Wentz’s surgery went as expected. (Stephen Holder)
• Reich mentioned Eason will get the majority of reps vs. Carolina in their first preseason game next week. (Holder)

Texans

Texans LT Laremy Tunsil has seen quite a bit in terms of surprising trades, starting with his arrival in Houston in a blockbuster deal from Miami. So Tunsil knows better than to rule out the Texans trading him at some point

“I’ve seen a lot of things at a young age in the NFL,” Tunsil said via the Athletic’s Aaron Reiss. “I saw my teammates in Miami get traded. I got traded. I saw (DeAndre Hopkins) get traded. You come to a realization, like, this is just a business. You really can’t control this.”

• Texans QB Deshaun Watson didn’t practice on Tuesday with an ankle issue. (Aaron Wilson)
• Texans HC David Culley said there isn’t a big deal surrounding Watson’s ankle: “We’re day to day with it. The only thing that’s changed about it is we make decisions every day based on what’s best for our team and I’m going to leave it at that.” (Wilson)
• Texans OT Tytus Howard said he can play just about anywhere the staff asks him: “I feel like I can play anywhere on the line. I’m very comfortable playing right tackle. My goal is to go in and do my best job at right tackle, left guard, left tackle, any position they put me in.” (Wilson)

Titans

Titans HC Mike Vrabel is “unconcerned” after WR Julio Jones‘ departure from practice.

“Yeah, sure,” Vrabel said when asked if Jones is OK, via the Tennessean. “(Head trainer Todd Toriscelli) said that he wanted to have him go inside. We wanted to get him some team reps, which we did. We’ll see where he’s at tomorrow and see how he looks.”