Ron Rivera: Carson Wentz Will Be ‘Primary Backup’

Commanders HC Ron Rivera said he plans to stick with QB Taylor Heinicke as the starter even after QB Carson Wentz returns. 

“I feel comfortable with Taylor and when Carson is activated he will be the primary backup,” he said via JP Finlay.

This doesn’t come as a big surprise given how the Commanders have turned their season around since Heinicke entered the lineup following Wentz’s broken finger. 

Although the former journeyman has not lit up the stat sheet, he’s made plays when it counts and helped guide Washington from 2-4 to the thick of the playoff race in the NFC. 

Wentz, 29, is a former first-round pick of the Eagles back in 2016. He was entering the final year of his four-year, $26.7 million rookie contract that included a $16.7 million signing bonus when the Eagles picked up his fifth-year option that would have cost them $22.78 million for the 2020 season. 

The Eagles signed Wentz to a four-year, $128 million extension going into the 2019 season that included $107 million in guarantees. However, Philadelphia opted to trade Wentz to the Colts for first- and third-round picks.

Wentz lasted just one year with the Colts before he was traded to the Commanders this past March. 

In 2022, Wentz has appeared in six games for the Commanders and completed 62.1 percent of his passes for 1,489 yards, 10 touchdowns, and six interceptions to go along with 79 yards rushing.