Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera told the media after last week’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles they’d be the last to know when he decided on the team’s starting quarterback.
As it turns out, Rivera was correct. John Keim of ESPN reported Sunday morning that Rivera plans to stick with Taylor Heinicke as Washington’s starting quarterback — even when Wentz returns from injured reserve. Wentz was eligible to return from IR this week but hasn’t been fully cleared.
Per Keim, Wentz has already been informed of the move.
How permanent is the move? Well, it’s not if Heinicke struggles.
It’s also possible that Wentz returns to the starting lineup sooner rather than later — but only if Heinicke and the offense struggle and the Commanders start losing again.
This is the correct move by Rivera and one that’s been expected. If Wentz had played well throughout the first six games, he’d get his spot back. However, he wasn’t consistent enough.
Starting Heinicke should keep the Commanders from having to send a second-round pick to the Colts for Wentz. Heinicke is making his fifth start in Week 11 vs. the Houston Texans. If Wentz doesn’t reach 70% of Washington’s offensive snaps in 2022, the Commanders will send a third-round pick to Indianapolis to finalize the Wentz trade.
For Rivera, this has nothing to do with draft compensation. He has his team in the middle of the playoff race, and his decision is based solely on what’s best for his team.
