What’s next for Carson Wentz
The Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz, the former number two overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft, was released last week after another disappointing season.
Having losing his starting job to journeyman Taylor Heinicke, Wentz never recovered in 2022, and finds himself now on the brink of being outcast from the NFL for good.
Having stared collegiately at North Dakota State, Wentz went on to win two consecutive NCAA FCS national championships. From there, he was selected as the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles in a trade for two first-round picks (2016, 2018), one-second round pick (2018), one third-round pick (2016), a fourth (2016), plus two starters.
It looked like it was all worth it. Wentz threw for over 3,700 yards and added 16 touchdowns during his rookie season, and followed it up with an even better year in 2017, helping the Eagles to an 11-2 record and the top seed in the NFC before being injured and replaced during the Eagles’ Super Bowl run.
During that second season, he was selected for the Pro Bowl and was named second-team All-Pro. The ACL injury proved to be a turning point in his career, never again reaching the heights he did in his first two seasons. He returned for Week Three of the 2018 season, but his career has never been the same. While the injury signalled his downfall, he is fully recovered yet his career did not.
He was traded to the Colts for a third round pick in 2021 and a conditional first round pick in 2022. Wentz’s time with the Colts was short-lived as his poor plays on the field, lack of leadership, and problems in the locker room led the Colts to trade him to Washington before his contract ended. Not much changed with the Commanders, as Wentz could never solidify himself as the Commanders starting QB leading him to be released.
With the 2023 draft right around the corner, Wentz is another cautionary tale about giving up so much for a potential but unproven player. However, credit the Eagles for what they got in the trade with the Colts.
They turned that second-round pick into star receiver A.J. Brown in a trade with the Titans and used the first-round pick to draft Heisman trophy winner DeVonta Smith giving the team I dynamic combination at wide receiver that helped them return to the Super Bowl this past season.
With the Bears holding the top pick in this year’s draft, and already having a potential franchise quarterback in Justin Fields, will a team step up and offer the type of draft capital the Eagles gave away for Wentz?
Probably. But, the real question is “is it worth it to do so?”. Only time will tell.
