Carson Wentz’s last chance to salvage his tenure as a member of the Washington Commanders seemed to be in Week 17, and it didn’t go well.
The 2017 Pro Bowl signal-caller was reinserted as the Commanders starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns, and things went disastrously from the start. In his first start since Week 6, Wentz finished 16-for-28 for 143 passing yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions, while adding three carries for seven yards and one score.
Washington lost at home 24-10 and was eliminated from playoff contention. Wentz missed time this fall with a broken right ring finger and, upon his return to health, had lost the starting job to Taylor Heinicke. Wentz replaced Heinicke in the fourth quarter of the Commanders’ Week 16 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, finishing 12-for-16 for 123 passing yards and one touchdown.
Fifth-round rookie Sam Howell will get the start in the team’s Week 18 regular-season finale against the Dallas Cowboys, with Heinicke expected to be the backup.
While the 30-year-old has two years left on his contract, it doesn’t include any guaranteed money, and the team could cut him without any money counting toward its salary cap. Wentz was acquired in a March trade with the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for multiple draft picks (including a second-rounder).
After spending the first five seasons of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles, the 2016 No. 2 overall pick was traded to the Colts in March 2021, almost exactly one year before he was moved to the Commanders.
Washington has gone 5-3-1 in Heinicke’s nine starts, in which the 29-year-old has posted a 62.2% completion percentage for 1,859 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions while adding 28 rushing attempts for 96 yards and one score. The Commanders have gone 2-5 in Wentz’s seven starts, as he’s registered a 62.3% completion percentage for 1,755 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions along with 22 rushing attempts for 86 yards and one touchdown.
