NOVEMBER 20: Heinicke will remain the Commanders’ starting quarterback unless he starts to struggle and Washington’s offense begins to regress, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. John Keim of ESPN.com subsequently confirmed the report, and while Wentz is likely to be activated off of IR soon, he will return to the roster as a backup. Wentz has been informed of the decision, per Keim.
This decision stands to impact the compensation that the Colts will receive for the trade that sent Wentz from Indianapolis to the Commanders this offseason. If Wentz does not play at least 70% of the Commanders’ offensive snaps in 2022 — a scenario that is looking increasingly likely — the Colts will receive a 2023 third-round choice from Washington instead of a second-rounder.
NOVEMBER 16: Carson Wentz is just about ready to return to practice, but for the time being, the Commanders will be rolling with Taylor Heinicke at quarterback. Head coach Ron Rivera told reporters that Heinicke will start this Sunday against the Texans, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post (on Twitter).
Rivera doesn’t seem to be committing to Heinicke as his starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. While Wentz has been cleared to throw, he’s yet to be designated to return to practice. If the Commanders sincerely wanted Wentz under center going forward, they’d surely give him a full week of practice before tossing him back into the fire.
While the Commanders don’t have to make a decision about their QB1 with Wentz technically still on the shelf, some around the NFL believe Washington is preparing to give Heinicke the reigns for the rest of the 2022 season. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes that “many around the league” expect the team to stick with Heinicke as their starting QB, “at least for the short term.” One source told Fowler that the young players on the Commanders “gravitate” towards Heinicke because of his “fiery personality and his no-fear attitude,” and Rivera is cognizant of the locker room support that the quarterback possesses. On the flip side, the organization also values Wentz’s “skill and toughness,” and it doesn’t sound like there would be any mutiny if the staff decides to roll with the veteran.
Heinicke has certainly impressed under center. In his four starts, he’s guided the Commanders to a 3-1 record, including a victory over the previously undefeated Eagles. He’s completed 62 percent of his pass attempts for 840 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions, and he’s added another 60 yards and a score on the ground. This performance comes on the heels of a 2021 campaign that saw him go 7-8 as a starter while tossing 20 touchdowns vs. 15 interceptions.
Wentz was acquired by Washington this past offseason and started each of the first six games before suffering a hand injury that landed him on IR. Washington was 2-4 in Wentz’s six appearances, with the 29-year-old completing 62.1 percent of his passes for 1,489 yards, 10 touchdowns, and six interceptions.
Start Taylor, he has clearly proved he can win games
Here is the plan…
The Commanders are not going to play Wentz and give Indy a 2nd round pick, especially after eating that salary. They will ride Taylor Heinicke until they are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Then they will get some film on Sam Howell.
Heinicke is pretty entertaining. Sometimes you would swear he is playing for both teams at the same time.
I enjoy watching Heinicke play but he needs to get his emotions more under control. Being fiery is ok when you are just getting a chance. At this point he’s proven that he belongs so he needs to exude more cool and calmness under pressure like Brady & Montana. Like he expects to be successful.
Hey, he doesn’t play as panicked as Wentz does. Asking him to be like Montana or Brady might be asking too much.
Heinicke is a “git ‘er done” QB and that type of player can work wonders on a team like the Commanders. Defense and a good ground game help, though the C’s lost McKissic for the year to a neck injury.
The new owner will have a new HC & GM as well. Hopefully they get a new name. Wipe Dan completely away from the franchise.
I am still not sold on the new owner theory, I think they are bringing in a minority owner. All the hype articles that are stirring up the Jeff Bezos concepts are coming from the Washington Post. The Washington Post is owned by Jeff Bezos — so there is that as well.
Still wild that they traded real draft capital to pay Wentz $28 million after teams eagerly dumped him in consecutive offseasons. Heinicke isn’t all that different from Wentz at this point, but he doesn’t deflate the whole team. I hope we get to see McLaurin play with a good QB before his peak is over.
One of the reasons I’d argue Larry Fitzgerald was as good as Jerry Rice is because his accomplishments were achieved without the support of a HOF QB like Montana. I also think he serves as a great inspiration for guys like McLaurin who also haven’t had much in the way of QB talent supporting them.
I’d still like to see it. I hate watching a great receiver go to waste. Even Fitzgerald got to play with Warner. Lol to him being as good as Rice, though. I love the guy, but come on.
That’s an all time awful take.
I wonder where Wentz will be next year. The Canadian Football League maybe?