Washington HC Ron Rivera: Carson Wentz 'is our QB1 going forward'

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera made it clear in January that nothing was "out of the question" regarding his employer improving at the quarterback position and finding a long-term answer rather than a "bridge" option such as Ryan Fitzpatrick or Taylor Heinicke. Rivera later campaigned for proven commodities searching for fresh starts to join the Commanders when he said they "have a lot to offer" to top-tier signal-callers. 

All of that was before Washington officially landed Carson Wentz from the Indianapolis Colts at the start of the new league year on Wednesday. The following day, Rivera spoke highly of his new starter while meeting with local reporters. 

"His skill set speaks very well for us, especially for what we want to do and how we want to attack our opponents," Rivera said of Wentz, according to Peter Hailey of NBC Sports Washington. "One of the things it does for us is it allows us to throw the ball more vertically than we have done in the past."

Per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk, Rivera admitted Washington could add another quarterback to the roster, although it's likely such a player would either come from the draft or sign as an undrafted free agent. 

"This trade doesn’t preclude us from anything, but he is our QB1 going forward, and, again, as he said and I do hope, I’d love to see this be a very long tenure, and I really mean that," Rivera explained. 

Meanwhile, Wentz told reporters he was "definitely surprised" his time with the Colts ended after a single season but insisted he's embracing this fresh start.

"To feel that I'm wanted here and people believe in me and support me, I think it'll be a great situation to flourish," Wentz said.