Commanders HC Ron Rivera: QB Carson Wentz's 'confidence spreading to everybody else around him'

The Washington Commanders' decision to trade with the Indianapolis Colts for quarterback Carson Wentz in March could go well for all involved, or it could blow up in Washington's face even before January arrives. 

Whatever happens, one won't have to question how Commanders head coach Ron Rivera feels about the deal.

Rivera immediately committed to Wentz as his QB1 and has since said his new starter "created that vibe that you’re looking for" and did "a heck of a job" during organized team activities. The coach then recently praised Wentz for spreading "confidence" to teammates and for taking "command of our offense." 

The Commanders concluded their mandatory minicamp on Thursday, and Rivera wrapped things up by again speaking highly of the 29-year-old. 

"I think probably the biggest thing watching Carson is how he got acclimated to us," Rivera explained during a press conference, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "How he got more and more comfortable being around our guys, getting to know some of our guys, developing some rapport with some of our receivers, picking up our offensive scheme for the most part.

"Sometimes you really see the confidence in the things that he does very well and you can see that confidence spreading to everybody else around him. So that was probably the biggest thing, really, to me, was watching how he kind of fit in and was getting acclimated."

Interestingly, backup Taylor Heinicke indicated on Wednesday he's not being given a chance to compete with Wentz for the starting gig because of the different amounts of money owed to the two for 2022 and because "the NFL’s a business." Heinicke and everyone else associated with the Commanders would probably do well to realize Wentz is the chosen one, for better or for worse, heading into the summer months.