The Washington Commanders’ season officially came to an end last week when they lost an embarrassing game to the Cleveland Browns, 24-10. Looking for a spark, head coach Ron Rivera opted to return to Carson Wentz as his starter and the decision backfired.
Wentz looked good in relief of Taylor Heinicke in Week 16 against the San Francisco 49ers. He completed 12-of-16 passes for 123 yards and one touchdown as he had the Washington offense moving. Red zone offense had become an issue under Heinicke, who could move the ball but not punch it into the end zone.
Unfortunately, Wentz was terrible in his return to the starting lineup for the first time since he broke his finger on October 13th in Week 6. Against Cleveland, he completed 16-of-28 passes for 143 yards and three interceptions. He doomed the offense from the start, putting the team in an impossible position to win the game.
With the playoffs no longer a possibility, the Commanders are turning to rookie Sam Howell to start in the season finale against the Dallas Cowboys. Washington wants to see what they have in their young signal caller as he is the only player under contract at the position in 2023.
That will almost certainly change once the offseason rolls around. Wentz likely won’t be back as he has no guaranteed money left on his contract. Heinicke is a free agent and could look for a new opportunity elsewhere.
One player that could be on the Commanders’ radar is Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders. His tenure with the franchise looks to be coming to an end as he was benched for the final two games of the season after they were eliminated from the playoffs. Former Washington head coach Jay Gruden believes that is who the Commanders should go after.
Carr struggled this season adapting to the new scheme that was put in by Josh McDaniels but he would be a nice upgrade at quarterback for the Commanders. The pieces are in place for him to succeed right away as Washington has a good offensive line, a strong run game and excellent weapons in the passing game.
With better quarterback play the Commanders likely would have been a playoff team this season. Expect them to be major players on the market as they need to find a long-term answer at the position if it isn’t Howell.
