Since the March trade for quarterback Carson Wentz, the Washington Commanders have been mocked and criticized. Well, the Commanders are constantly mocked, with much of that being out of the hands of head coach Ron Rivera and his players. Bad ownership, a horrible stadium and consistent losing are just some of the Commanders’ issues.
As for the Wentz trade, some of the criticism is valid. Why would the Colts trade a player they gave up a first-round pick for only one year ago? It wasn’t as if Wentz was horrible in 2021, completing 62% of his passes for over 3,500 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Washington fans would have given anything for a quarterback to post similar numbers in recent years. Obviously, Wentz wasn’t perfect; look no further than his Week 18 performance vs. Jacksonville.
Regardless of what one thinks of Wentz, everyone would agree this could be his last chance as an NFL starting quarterback with the Commanders in 2022. Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman said as much recently.
Patrik Walker of CBS Sports recently asked one burning question for every NFL team by division. For Washington, his burning question centered around Wentz.
Commanders: The last dance for Carson Wentz?
Carson Wentz is becoming the living embodiment of “second chance,” as his second has now become a third chance in as many seasons — being traded to the Washington Commanders in 2022. This occurred only one year after the Indianapolis Colts were convinced a reunion with head coach Frank Reich would rejuvenate Wentz, the two having spent time together with the Philadelphia Eagles, but to no avail. Wentz imploded at the worst possible time in Year 1 under Reich, delivering a rancid performance in the team’s humiliating loss at the hands of a lowly Jacksonville Jaguars team led by a now-fired Urban Meyer in a win-and-get-in regular season finale. Jim Irsay wasted little time looking for an out on Wentz, a move he openly labels “a mistake,” and went on to turn the NFL upside-down by trading for former league MVP Matt Ryan.
That leaves head coach Ron Rivera and the Commanders willfully holding the bag on Wentz, attempting to get from him what his previous two teams could not and eventually gave up on, the Colts doing the latter in swift fashion. And while there is some good to be seen in Wentz, there arguably isn’t enough to warrant deeming him the QB1 of the future, but it does show just how desperate the Commanders were at the most important position in football heading into the offseason. Ryan Fitzpatrick suffered injury after being acquired as a free agent in 2021, and that forced them to pass the baton to Taylor Heinicke, who was re-signed with a healthy bit of hype behind him.
Heinicke was basically a disaster as a starter (20 touchdowns to 15 interceptions) and while the Commanders didn’t finish as poorly as the Giants did, it was clear they were going to have to answer the question at QB in 2022. They believe they have with Wentz, after trying and failing to convince Russell Wilson they were worthy of his services, and they had better be right with their consolation prize. Otherwise, they’ll be back in the market yet again for a starting QB and Wentz, who may have run out of chances at that point, will have to begin considering backup roles around the league.
Considering where Heinicke came from, I would hardly call him a disaster. Ideally, he is a backup quarterback. From an arm-talent standpoint, he is extremely limited, and the Commanders were desperate for a real answer at quarterback.
Is that Wentz?
While there are other questions on Washington’s roster, Wentz’s performance will go a long way in determining if the Commanders make the playoffs next season.