The Commanders released Wentz on Monday.
As expected, Wentz has been let go to save over $26 million in cap space before his roster bonus triggered March 17. The veteran quarterback was traded to Washington ahead of the 2022 campaign, but after two solid outings to start the season, he completed just 60.8 percent of his passes over his next six appearances and threw six interceptions to just four touchdowns during that stretch. There's plenty of teams in need of a starting quarterback, but Wentz's recent track record may force him to settle for a backup gig in 2023. If he joins a new team this summer, it'll mark his fourth squad in as many years.
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Commanders' Carson Wentz: Facing uncertain future
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Commanders general manager Martin Mayhew declined to give a direct answer when asked Tuesday if Wentz will be back with the team in 2023, Scott Abraham of 7 News Washington reports.
Wentz presumably needs to accept a pay cut to have any chance at returning, as he's scheduled for a non-guaranteed $20 million base salary in 2023 and has a $5 million roster bonus due March 17, per Spotrac.com. Having traded for Wentz last offseason, the Commanders can get out of his contract without any dead-cap charge after he went 2-5 as a starter and finished in the bottom five among qualified passers for yards per attempt (6.0), interception rate (3.3 percent), passer rating (80.2) and QBR (32.7). It was a bad enough season that he may only be in the mix for backup jobs in 2023.
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Commanders' Carson Wentz: Inactive Sunday
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Wentz is inactive for Sunday's season finale against the Cowboys.
While Wentz is inactive, rookie Sam Howell is slated to start Sunday's contest, with Taylor Heinicke in line to serve as the team's No. 2 QB in Week 18.
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Commanders' Carson Wentz: Performs well in relief of starter
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Wentz entered Saturday's contest in relief of struggling starter Taylor Heinicke, completing 12 of 16 pass attempts for 123 yards and a touchdown in a 37-20 loss to San Francisco.
There were already rumblings of Wentz taking over for the Commanders following the team's recent skid, and that narrative will only get louder after the backup outperformed the starter (albeit in garbage time). Head coach Ron Rivera said that he will review the film and make a decision on his starting quarterback well ahead of next Sunday's kickoff against the Browns, the Washington Post's Nicki Jhabvala reports. If Wentz were to reclaim the starting job, he would be immediately thrust into a tough matchup against Myles Garrett and Cleveland's eighth-ranked pass defense.
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Commanders' Carson Wentz: Won't suit up this week
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Wentz (finger) was designated to return from injured reserve Wednesday, but the Commanders will stick with Taylor Heinicke and Sam Howell as their top two quarterbacks for at least one more week, JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington reports.
Wentz will return to practice Wednesday, perhaps with the goal of coming back for Week 13, or else after the Week 14 bye. The Commanders reportedly now view Taylor Heinicke as their starter, leaving Wentz in a backup role unless or until his teammate's performance leads to a benching.
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Commanders' Carson Wentz: Throwing again, but not practicing
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Wentz (finger) has been cleared to resume throwing but won't return to practice Wednesday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
Wentz hasn't been designated to return from injured reserve just yet, and it may not happen this week given that the Commanders have already named Taylor Heinicke as their starter for Sunday's game in Houston. However, head coach Ron Rivera didn't shut down the possibility of Wentz being active as the backup, and there's still some question about which quarterback will be the starter once both are at or near full strength. Jhabvala suggests the team is essentially putting off that decision for another week.
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Commanders' Carson Wentz: Approaching eligible return date
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Wentz (finger) will be eligible to come off injured reserve before the Commanders take on Houston in Week 11, and Sam Fortier of The Washington Post reports that the team is preparing for Wentz to reclaim the starting role once healthy.
When asked about Wentz's return, Taylor Heinicke said he's prepared to return to a backup role. Heinicke could make a convincing case to remain the starting quarterback if he can beat the Eagles on Monday, but if Heinicke drops to 2-2 as the starter in Wentz's absence, the offseason trade acquisition will likely be handed back the starting job upon his return. Wentz has topped 300 passing yards in three of six starts, while Heinicke has yet to hit that mark.
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Commanders' Carson Wentz: Sub-100-yard effort in Week 6 win
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Wentz (shoulder) completed 12 of 22 passes for 99 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and rushed twice for two yards in the Commanders' 12-7 win over the Bears on Thursday night.
It was reported earlier in the day that Wentz was dealing with a biceps tendon strain near his throwing shoulder, and he certainly didn't look 100 percent during Thursday's forgettable statistical showing. The fact the veteran quarterback also had to take another three sacks likely didn't help his condition, but Wentz stayed away from turnovers for the first time all season and leaned heavily on his defense and rookie running back Brian Robinson with success. The fact Wentz was once again down Jahan Dotson (hamstring) and Logan Thomas (calf) also hurt his overall prospects, but he'll have a chance for better health and perhaps the return of his two pass catchers with the extended time off before a Week 7 home matchup against the Packers on Oct. 23.
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Commanders' Carson Wentz: Cleared for Thursday
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Wentz (shoulder) doesn't have an injury designation for Thursday's game against the Bears.
Wentz never seemed in serious danger of missing the game, but he'll be without two key pass catchers in wideout Jahan Dotson (hamstring) and tight end Logan Thomas (calf). The Commanders still have receivers Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel at Wentz's dispoal, and the pass-catching depth has been one of the few positives for the team this season. Wentz gets one of his more favorable matchups of the season Thursday, but he's still been prone to negative plays even against weaker competition.
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Commanders' Carson Wentz: Week 6 Waiver Priority List
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It's a small sample size, but Wentz has shown you he can be a good Fantasy option in favorable matchups and someone to avoid when facing a tough defense. He has three games this season with at least 25 Fantasy points against Jacksonville, Detroit and Tennessee. And in two games against Philadelphia and Dallas, Wentz scored eight Fantasy points in each outing. We'll see how he fares this week at Chicago, and the Bears have allowed three of their past four opposing quarterbacks to score at least 20 Fantasy points, including two in a row with Daniel Jones and Kirk Cousins. Wentz should be considered a low-end starter in all leagues in Week 6, and he's worth up to 10 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Commanders' Carson Wentz: Week 5 Waiver Priority List
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It's a small sample size, but Wentz has shown you he can be a good Fantasy option in favorable matchups and someone to avoid when facing a tough defense. He has three games this season with at least 25 Fantasy points against Jacksonville, Detroit and Tennessee. And in two games against Philadelphia and Dallas, Wentz scored eight Fantasy points in each outing. We'll see how he fares this week at Chicago, and the Bears have allowed three of their past four opposing quarterbacks to score at least 20 Fantasy points, including two in a row with Daniel Jones and Kirk Cousins. Wentz should be considered a low-end starter in all leagues in Week 6, and he's worth up to 10 percent of your remaining FAB.
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Commanders' Carson Wentz: Limited again Tuesday
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Wentz (shoulder) was listed as limited on the Commanders' injury report Tuesday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
The team went through a walkthrough Tuesday ahead of Thursday's game against the Bears. In the open part of the session, Wentz reached for his right shoulder after a throw and showed some discomfort, per Sam Fortier of The Washington Post. He will have one more chance this week to log a full practice, at which point Washington may tab him with a designation.
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Commanders' Carson Wentz: Limited on practice estimate
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Wentz (right shoulder) was listed as limited on Monday's practice estimate, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
Given that the Commanders just played Sunday, the team held a light walkthrough Monday, but with Wentz limited, the QB's status now will be worth monitoring ahead of Thursday night's game against the Bears. Look for added context regarding the Week 6 status of Wentz to arrive no later than Tuesday's practice/injury report.
Wentz completed 25 of 38 passes for 359 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 21-17 loss to the Titans.
From an efficiency and box-score perspective, Wentz bounced back from consecutive subpar efforts. With Jahan Dotson (hamstring) sidelined, Wentz connected with Dyami Brown for a pair of touchdowns from 75 and 30 yards. However, the performance was still marred by several mistakes, including an interception that ended the game from Tennessee's two-yard line. Wentz also fumbled three times, though each was recovered by Washington. Wentz has the ability to post viable fantasy lines, but he remains a mistake-prone quarterback.
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Commanders' Carson Wentz: Struggles second week in a row
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Wentz completed 25 of 42 passes for 170 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions against Dallas on Sunday.
Wentz was only sacked twice in this game, but he took another 11 hits after enduring nine sacks and 17 hits in Week 3. Some of Wentz's pressure struggles are brought on by himself, but 28 hits in two weeks is just too much even if the quarterback is partially to blame. If there's good news, it's that the Eagles and Cowboys pass rushes both look formidable while Week 5 opponent Tennessee probably has a more manageable pass rush. If Wentz can fix his pressure issues, there should be fantasy production to be had, because he still has solid skill players around him and Washington has averaged around 40 pass attempts per game.
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Commanders' Carson Wentz: QBs to Sit
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Wentz was great in plus matchups against Jacksonville and Detroit to open the season, scoring at least 33 Fantasy points in both outings. Then came Week 3 against Philadelphia, and Wentz collapsed with just eight Fantasy points. He was sacked nine times, took 17 hits and lost a fumble. Now he gets to face a Dallas defense that just sacked Daniel Jones five times with 12 quarterback hits. The Cowboys are allowing just 14.8 Fantasy points per game to Tom Brady, Joe Burrow and Jones, and Brady has the most passing yards of this trio with 212. Wentz should have another tough outing this week.
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Commanders' Carson Wentz: Sit Him (Lineup Decisions)
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The Commanders should learn from last week and come up with a more succinct plan against the Cowboys, but it'll be tough to trust Wentz in Fantasy lineups. The best-case scenario is that he continues to keep throws short against what will probably be a zone-heavy plan for the Cowboys. It'll mean a compiling type of game for Wentz, which is why you're better off with the upside of Russell Wilson, Tua Tagovailoa or Tom Brady.
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Commanders' Carson Wentz: Collapses against pass rush
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Wentz completed 25 of 43 passes for 211 yards and rushed three times for 22 yards against Philadelphia on Sunday. He also committed two fumbles, losing one.
Wentz didn't throw any interceptions, but he lost a fumble and took nine sacks and 17 hits in a dreary game where Washington was dominated from almost start to finish. Washington has called a pass-happy offense with Wentz and his first two games were much more successful, so he has a shot to get himself together and bounce back against Dallas in Week 4.
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Commanders' Carson Wentz: Tops 300 passing yards again
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Wentz completed 30 of 46 passes for 337 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in Sunday's 36-27 loss to the Lions. He added 23 rushing yards on two attempts and threw a two-point conversion.
The Commanders trailed 22-0 at halftime, with two of those points coming on a strip sack of Wentz that rolled out of the end zone for a safety. Wentz regrouped at halftime and led a touchdown drive on the first possession of the third quarter, capping it with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Samuel. He stunted Washington's momentum with an interception on the next drive but bounced back again to find Logan Thomas for a 20-yard touchdown and Jahan Dotson for a two-point conversion. A one-yard touchdown to Dotson in the fourth quarter helped pad Wentz's stats, which were buoyed by a pass-heavy game script. Wentz has opened his Commanders tenure with consecutive 300-yard passing performances, and he'll bring a 7:3 TD:INT into a Week 3 matchup with the Eagles.
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Commanders' Carson Wentz: Start Him (Lineup Decisions)
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If I'm already recommending three Commanders players, and I didn't even mention Terry McLaurin or Antonio Gibson, then I obviously have to like Wentz. I'm ready to give him a try in his favorable matchup ahead of Justin Fields, Trey Lance and even Tom Brady, whose track record against the Saints is dicey.
