Before the Washington Commanders could celebrate its upset win over the Philadelphia Eagles Monday night, questions arose about who will be the team’s quarterback next week. Taylor Heinicke or Carson Wentz?
Wentz spent the last four weeks on injured reserve with a fractured finger on his throwing hand. Meanwhile, Heinicke has steered the ship in Wentz’s absence. The Commanders have won three of their last four games, positioning themselves in the midst of the NFC wild-card picture.
Wentz is eligible to be designated to return from IR this week. Meanwhile, Heinicke has taken control of the team. Now, Commanders head coach Ron Rivera must decide which quarterback is the best option for the team moving forward.
Rivera told reporters Tuesday he doesn’t know Wentz’s status. Rivera needs to get an update from the trainers before making a decision.
“We’re going to see what happens this week,” Rivera said, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post. “We have not had an opportunity — I have not had an opportunity — to sit down with [head athletic trainer] Al [Bellamy] and go through what the doctors have decided, what they’ve decided.”
If Wentz gets cleared and Rivera has to make a decision, he cautioned the media would be the last to know. He’d sit down with offensive coordinator Scott Turner, quarterback coach Ken Zampese, Wentz and Heinicke, and the team before announcing a decision.
“But the first thing I’m going to tell everybody is let’s don’t get ahead of ourselves because remember, we got to return [Wentz] to practice first and see where he is if he is cleared and ready to go,” Rivera continued.
Wentz, who has a $28.2 million cap hit, struggled through six starts. He completed 62.1% of his passes for 1,489 and 10 touchdowns. But he threw six interceptions and got sacked 23 times.
The offense was stagnant at times under Wentz. He struggled to find top wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who had 22 catches for 367 yards and one touchdown with Wentz as the starting quarterback. The team couldn’t overcome costly mistakes by Wentz, including a game-clinching interception in Week 5 against Tennessee, en route to a 2-4 record.
Meanwhile, Heinicke’s limitations are glaring — his lack of size and arm talent compared to the 6-foot-5 Wentz. Heinicke has a 60% completion rate for 840 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions.
Yet, Heinicke has shown his advantages in comparison. His pocket presence, ability to extend plays with his legs, and willingness to get the ball to McLaurin trump Wentz. McLaurin has 24 catches for 370 yards and one touchdown in four games with Heinicke at quarterback.
The Commanders have rallied behind Heinicke, as teammates have rallied behind him. Washington is 3-1 with Heinicke under center.
“You have to look at the momentum and what the mood of the team is,” Rivera said, per ESPN’s John Keim. “You treat everyone fair, but you treat everyone according to the team. So the decision will be made about the team first and foremost.”
Whoever the starter is, Rivera says he will stick with him for the rest of the season.
