Ron Rivera leaves the door open on benching Carson Wentz upon return

The future of quarterback Carson Wentz with the Washington Commanders remains a mystery. Wentz is currently on injured reserve with a broken finger. He missed the 23-21 Week 7 win over the Green Bay Packers. He has to miss at least the next three games, including his returns to his former teams, the Indianapolis Colts, and Philadelphia Eagles.

Wentz is eligible to return ahead of Week 11 against the Houston Texans. Depending on how the games play out, Commanders head coach Ron Rivera may have to make a tough call and not because of their position in the standings. Yet, with their status with the draft next year.

As part of its trade to acquire Wentz, the Commanders sent the Colts a conditional third-round draft pick in 2023. That pick will upgrade to a second-rounder if Wentz plays at least 70% of the Commanders’ offensive snaps this season.

Speaking recently with Ben Standig of The Athletic, Rivera does not believe Wentz’s playing status should be affected by the trade parameters.

“Well, it shouldn’t have to. But, again, we’ll see,” Rivera said per Standing. “I don’t want to bench a guy and not play a guy just because of something … we put in the contract. We’re going to try and win at the same time; we also got to try and develop (our younger players).”

The end of his quote, “We also got to try and develop,” is interesting.

Carson Wentz has two years remaining on his contract four-year, $128M that he signed with the Eagles in 2020. However, the Commanders can move on from him after the season without any dead cap for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Meanwhile, Heinicke is the starter in Wentz’s place right now. But the Commanders have an intriguing rookie, fifth-round draft pick Sam Howell, sitting behind him. Howell entered last year at North Carolina as a potential first-round draft pick.

By the time the draft came around, his stock dropped — along with every other QB in the draft class. Drafting Howell in the fifth is widely viewed as a steal for the Commanders. He has the luxury of learning while sitting behind Wentz and Heinicke.

The Commanders are on a two-game win streak but still are in last place in the NFC East with a 3-4 record. If the losses pile, there is no need to bring back Wentz. Considering Heinicke’s low ceiling, Howell may be the best option to finish the season.

For now, Rivera is taking the season one game at a time. But there will be a point when Washington must decide on Wentz and the quarterback situation. Rivera leads a coach-centric front office. Ultimately whatever the decision, it will be the head coach’s call.