Head coach Andy Reid confirmed Wednesday that Wentz will start Sunday's regular-season finale against the Broncos, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.
With the Chiefs having clinched the AFC's No. 1 seed, Reid said that "it wasn't a hard decision" to rest normal starter Patrick Mahomes in Week 18, according to Nate Taylor of The Athletic. Wentz is thus slated for his first extended action with the Chiefs, after playing just nine snaps in total over his previous two appearances this season. Chris Oladokun will likely be elevated from the practice squad to serve as the backup to Wentz on Sunday while Mahomes is expected to be inactive as the emergency No. 3 quarterback.
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Chiefs' Carson Wentz: Looks set for Week 18 start
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Wentz is expected to serve as Kansas City's starting quarterback Sunday in Denver with Patrick Mahomes likely to be rested for the regular-season finale, Peter Schrager of Fox Sports reports.
Heading into Week 18, the defending champs have already secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, so the team is expected to rest several key players. Mahomes has been playing through a mild high-ankle sprain the past two games, making him a prime candidate for extra rest. Wentz is set to see his first extended action since Week 18 of 2023, when the Rams faced a similar scenario and opted to rest Matthew Stafford. The likelihood that Kansas City restricts the workloads of other top playmakers could limit the QB's fantasy appeal, and practice-squad call-up Chris Oladokun may even relieve Wentz at some point in the contest.
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Chiefs' Carson Wentz: Week 16 Waiver Priority List
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Wentz could start the next two games for the Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes (ankle) hurt since Kansas City plays Houston on Saturday in Week 16, followed by a Wednesday game at Pittsburgh in Week 17. They aren't easy matchups, but hopefully, Wentz can surprise us as a spot starter in Andy Reid's offense. The last time Wentz started a game was in Week 18 for the Rams, and he scored 30.1 Fantasy points when he was 17-of-24 passing for 163 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, along with 17 carries for 56 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He's a potential starter in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues if Mahomes is out.
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Chiefs' Carson Wentz: Heading to Kansas City
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Wentz signed a one-year contract with the Chiefs on Monday, Jordan Schultz of BleacherReport.com reports.
Wentz should slot in as Kansas City's top backup quarterback behind Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City, considering his competition includes Chris Oladokun and Ian Book as of now. Wentz completed 17 of 24 passes for 163 yards, two touchdowns and one interception to go along with 17 carries for 56 yards and a touchdown during the 2023 campaign as a reserve for the Rams.
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Rams' Carson Wentz: Future uncertain after lone start
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Wentz finished the 2023 regular season completing 17 of 24 pass attempts for 163 yards, two touchdowns and one interception and added 17 carries for 56 yards and a touchdown.
After Matthew Stafford went down with a thumb injury and missed part of Week 8 and all of Week 9, Brett Rypien came in and performed poorly (18-for-38 for 172 yards and an interception), prompting the Rams to take a chance on Wentz. For his part, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 Draft proved up to the task against the 49ers in Week 18, taking the reigns and helping Puka Nacua set the all-time rookie reception and receiving yard marks while turning in nearly as many rushing attempts in one game as he had in eight games with the Commanders in 2022. Wentz still wants to be a starting quarterback heading into his age-31 campaign, and the unrestricted free agent might get one more chance to prove he can helm an offense with the cavalcade of ineffective and injured quarterbacks that littered the NFL landscape in 2023. If that doesn't work out, a return to the Rams to be a quality backup behind Stafford seems like a distinct possibility.
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Rams' Carson Wentz: Scores three TDs in spot-start
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Wentz completed 17 of 24 pass attempts for 163 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while adding 56 yards and a rushing touchdown on 17 carries in Sunday's 21-20 win over San Francisco.
Wentz made his first start of the season in Week 18 with starter Matthew Stafford resting for the playoff-bound Rams. The veteran backup generated three touchdowns while leading his team to victory Sunday. Wentz will continue backing up Stafford for as long as Los Angeles' playoff run lasts before becoming an unrestricted free agent this upcoming offseason.
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Rams' Carson Wentz: Gets starting nod for season finale
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Wentz will start at quarterback in Sunday's regular-season finale against the 49ers, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
Matthew Stafford will get a week off for the Rams, who are locked into a wild-card spot in the NFC. Wentz will make the 93rd start of his career and his first start since Week 17 of the 2022 season, when he was with Washington. Over stops with the Eagles, Colts and Commanders, Wentz owns a 151:66 career TD:INT.
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Carson Wentz: Finds new home in L.A.
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Wentz is slated to sign with the Rams, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Wentz is expected to slide in as a veteran backup to Matthew Stafford, who missed part of the Rams' Week 8 loss to the Cowboys and all of the team's Week 9 loss to the Packers with a thumb injury. The Rams are hoping that Wentz can provide an upgrade to the overall depth of the position group after Brett Rypien completed just 13 of 28 attempts for 172 yards and an interception while starting in place of the injured Stafford in Week 9. The Rams are on bye Week 10, so Wentz will have added time to get up to speed with the playbook in the event Stafford isn't ready to return for a Week 11 tilt against the Seahawks.
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Carson Wentz: Open to backup job
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Wentz has been working out in Los Angeles and is open to taking a backup role, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Wentz averaged less than 7.0 yards per pass attempt and 220 passing yards per game each of the past three seasons wile starting for three different teams. He's reportedly received interest from NFL teams -- presumably for backup jobs -- since Washington released him in February. The 30-year-old is unlikely to find a chance to compete for a starting job but might be hoping injuries open that up at some point before Week 1 if he's patient.
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Carson Wentz: Released by Washington
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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: 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: 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: 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.
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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.
