Rivera unsure if healthy Wentz gets QB job back

The Washington Commanders person a determination to marque astatine quarterback, but manager Ron Rivera inactive isn't definite erstwhile it indispensable beryllium made.

Rivera said he's inactive not definite if Carson Wentz volition beryllium activated disconnected injured reserve this week aft missing the past 4 games with a fractured close ringing finger. It was primitively thought that the wounded would sideline him for 4 weeks. If that's the case, past Wentz could beryllium activated this week.

However, adjacent if helium is disposable there's a bully accidental Washington sticks with his replacement, Taylor Heinicke. Though helium lacks Wentz's size oregon arm, the Commanders person gone 3-1 with Heinicke starting and sprung a large upset connected Monday nighttime against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Rivera said helium inactive has to conscionable with trainers to sermon Wentz's information and past sermon the concern with violative coordinator Scott Turner and quarterbacks manager Ken Zampese.

Then, erstwhile Rivera decides connected a starter, helium would archetypal conscionable with the players progressive and past pass the team. That would not hap until Wednesday greeting astatine the earliest.

"You person to look astatine the momentum and what the temper of the squad is," Rivera said. "There are a batch of factors."

Washington acquired Wentz, the 2nd wide prime successful the 2016 draft, from the Indianapolis Colts successful the offseason. The teams swapped second-round draught picks past April, and the Commanders besides sent a third-round prime successful 2022 and a conditional 3rd successful 2023. The second turns into a second-round prime if Wentz plays 70% of the snaps this season.

Wentz, who started the archetypal six games, fractured his close ringing digit successful a 12-7 triumph implicit the Chicago Bears connected Oct. 13 and was placed connected injured reserve.

While the discourtesy remained inconsistent, helium did pb a precocious thrust to clinch a triumph against the Green Bay Packers and besides a last-second march to triumph astatine Indianapolis successful summation to Monday night's upset.

Heinicke has posted a 47.2 backmost standing successful his 4 starts compared to Wentz's 32.4 successful six starts. Wentz besides had to larn a caller offense, having played successful a antithetic strategy his erstwhile six seasons. It led to him holding the shot longer than accustomed astatine times down shaky walk protection. He was sacked 23 times.

"You look astatine what is champion for the squad and that's however it has to be," Rivera said. "There's a large saying, 'You dainty everyone the same, you dainty everyone just but you dainty everyone according to the team. So the determination volition beryllium made astir the squad archetypal and foremost. Whoever the starter is I volition perpetrate to them fully. I don't privation them looking implicit their shoulder."

But Rivera stopped abbreviated of saying immoderate determination would beryllium for the remainder of the season.

After Monday's win, Heinicke said he's not disquieted astir immoderate decision.

"I said it backmost successful OTAs that we brought Carson successful to beryllium a starter. If my fig is called, I'll beryllium acceptable to spell in," Heinicke said. "Whatever determination they privation to make, let's go. If I'm backing up Carson adjacent week, great. The biggest happening for maine is let's conscionable spell win. Let's support winning whether it means playing oregon not."

Heinicke does person the enactment of the locker room. They've gravitated to his underdog communicative -- the erstwhile undrafted backmost who was sleeping connected his sister's sofa astatine this clip 2 years agone earlier Washington signed him successful December 2020. He started a playoff crippled that play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and played good successful a 31-23 loss.

"He's been large for america since he's got here, honestly," receiver Terry McLaurin said. "He plays with nary fear, everything's not pretty. He is going to widen plays with his legs and get the pugnacious yards. He is going to get america successful the close situations. You conscionable consciousness assured with a feline backmost determination similar that. A batch of radical privation to measurement his height, his arm, each those things. You can't measurement what's wrong of his chest."