The Washington Commanders are making a big switch at quarterback, as Taylor Heinicke is expected to start over Carson Wentz moving forward, per NFL Media. Wentz is still out with the finger injury that sidelined him in the first place, but when he returns, it's expected he will be second string.
Heinicke has gone 3-1 as the starter since replacing Wentz, with his most recent outing being a 32-21 win over the previously undefeated Philadelphia Eagles. In his four starts this season, Heinicke has completed 62 percent of his passes for five touchdowns and four interceptions, and is averaging 210 passing yards per game.
Heinicke was Washington's starter for virtually all of 2021 after Ryan Fitzpatrick went down with a season-ending injury in Week 1. There were both good and bad moments from the former Old Dominion star, as he went 7-8 as the starter and threw for 3,419 yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, but there was no question that Washington would be searching for a new starting quarterback in the offseason.
Wentz, the former No. 2 overall pick of the Eagles, went 2-4 as Washington's starter to begin the year, and has completed 62.1 percent of his passes for 10 touchdowns and six interceptions while averaging 248.2 passing yards per game. He was also sacked a whopping 23 times.
It's a big move for Commanders head coach Ron Rivera, whose confidence in Wentz appeared to publicly dwindle at times through the season. When Washington made the polarizing decision to trade for Wentz, who was a one-and-done with the Indianapolis Colts, Rivera proclaimed that he didn't have any questions about the Commanders new quarterback -- unlike everyone else.
"You have questions. I don't. . . . Whose questions are they? Do they have answers? If they have answers, and they know and they're right in the middle of it, then great. Then why don't you tell us what your answers are?" Rivera told Ben Standig of TheAthletic.com, (H/T Pro Football Talk). "I will be honest with you: From this point, I'm really not concerned what happened in Philadelphia, and I'm not really concerned what happened in Indianapolis. The answers I've got from the people, the things that I've seen and read don't scare me. . . . Most of the things that I've seen and people I've talked to, and the people in the know . . . their answers really support how I feel. . . . Quite bluntly, I'm not concerned about that."
Last month, however, the coach apologized after identifying the quarterback position as why the Commanders were behind the other teams in the NFC East.
This is a move that will be celebrated by many, as Heinicke is the scrappy underdog that has quickly established himself as a fan favorite due to his competitiveness. It remains to be seen how long he can hold this position, but the Commanders are certainly riding high right now.
