Carson Wentz is back.
Wentz was reactivated to the 53-man roster from injured reserve Monday.
So now what?
Well, head coach Ron Rivera already spoke clearly and adamantly that when Wentz returned to the 53-man roster he would “become the primary backup and we will go from there.”
With Tyler Larson now done for the season and Washington having already lost starting center Chase Roullier against Detroit in Week 2, things could get dicey quickly for Taylor Heinicke.
Chris Cooley already stated that the game against the Giants confirmed “the Commanders have glaring protection issues.” The Giants accumulated five sacks and ten quarterback hits on Heinicke in the 20-20 tie in Week 13.
Might a poor performance move Rivera to go back to Wentz, as the team is attempting to earn a playoff spot? Wentz himself not only had a broken finger but, remember it was also reported that Wentz was playing through a bicep tendon injury as well. Wentz also noticeably sprained an ankle against the Bears as well.
Consequently, Wentz had his stay on IR go from four weeks to eight weeks. Is he all healed up and ready to go, if needed?
Carson Wentz. Pancake. pic.twitter.com/ALSTPkfsrm
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) October 10, 2022
Rivera has spoken well of Heinicke, but the coaches also know what they are seeing from Heinicke on game film. They are indeed winning with defense and a running game, and Heinicke is making enough plays to get by thus far.
With Washington at 6-6 in 2021, Heinicke fell off a cliff, and his performance was horrible, even being pulled twice by Rivera for Kyle Allen. We are all hoping Heinicke has matured enough that he won’t fall off of the cliff again this season in the last four games.
On Oct. 13, Wentz suffered a fracture of the ring finger on his throwing hand in the 12-7 win over the Bears. It was determined surgery would be best, so it was performed on Oct. 17, and Wentz was subsequently placed on the Injured Reserve list on Oct. 22.
Wentz then returned to practice on Nov. 23, beginning his 21-day window by which Rivera could determine whether to return Wentz to the active roster or place him on season-ending IR.
