Carson Wentz's time in Washington -- and perhaps the NFL -- appears to be in jeopardy.
It's not an unreasonable conclusion after head coach Ron Rivera took the unusual step of publicly throwing his starting quarterback under the bus, just five games into what is shaping up to be a lost season for the Commanders.
Rivera tried to walk back his comments, but the damage was done.
The truth is, Rivera's assessment that the Commanders' rebuild is pacing behind those of their NFC East rivals -- because of quarterback play -- was harsh but true.
Wentz was acquired from the Colts in a high-profile offseason trade, the second such deal involving the former No. 2 overall pick in as many years.
As with his arrival in Indy, Wentz was supposed to be the solution to a long-standing problem.
Instead, he seems to have again caused his new team a case of buyer's remorse.
Related
By most measures, Wentz is an average-ish starting quarterback in the NFL, which places him precariously close to being a backup. As Rivera himself noted, it's a quarterback-driven league, so if you're not clearly in the top 10 or so, your team will soon be looking to find one who is.
But what is most compromising for Wentz are the apparent questions about his character -- which could lead to him finding himself on the outside looking in.
Wentz's departure from Philadelphia was reportedly hastened by his falling out with former head coach Doug Pederson, and the tantrum he threw when the team benched him in favor of Jalen Hurts.
A reunion with former Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich in Indianapolis was supposed to revive Wentz's flagging career. Instead, he was jettisoned after just one season, again reportedly because of leadership and "coachability" issues.
Now, Wentz again appears to have fallen out of favor soon after a change of scenery in Washington.
To be clear, Rivera mentioned nothing about Wentz's leadership or receptiveness to coaching while throwing him under the bus. But it's not difficult to read between the lines. A former player himself, Rivera has long been known as a player's coach. For him to single out a player seems markedly out of character.
Meanwhile, Wentz's poor decision-making has been a major factor in at least a couple of Washington's first four losses. Most recently, his game-sealing interception at the Titans' 2-yard line in the final seconds doomed a potential go-ahead scoring drive in Week 5.
Under normal circumstances, all of this would point toward Wentz potentially assuming a backup role in the near future.
But Wentz is now damaged goods, having hastened his exit from two teams -- and potentially a third -- in an as many years. It's one thing to be a mediocre performer, another to do so amid questions about leadership and coachability.
Related
While Wentz has more ability than the average backup, a second-string quarterback's job is to hold the clipboard, be a consummate cheerleader, and be ready to play if called upon. At this point, given his history of handling demotions, there seem to be legitimate questions whether Wentz could do all of that.
Whether that's fair or accurate, is almost irrelevant at this point. Perception, as they say, is often reality. In a league where teams are already disinclined to set themselves up for a potential dreaded "quarterback controversy," Wentz seems like the type of fringe starter who could present such a dilemma.
As in all sports, a team's willingness to tolerate unwanted behavior is directly proportionate to performance -- the better you are, the more you can get away with. And Wentz seems to have been out of whack on these counts for a while now.
Wentz's role in delivering the Eagles their first title in the Super Bowl era is undeniable. That they got over the hump with another signal-caller, Nick Foles, under center seems increasingly likely to be a big part of Wentz's legacy. There's no shame in that, but if he is indeed reaching the end of the road in the NFL, it will have been one of the stranger quarterback careers we've seen in some time.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram