Jon Gruden Hired to Coach Commanders QB Bust Carson Wentz: PR Stunt?
We hate to say it, because there is no longer a purpose in piling on Carson Wentz. His 2022 season was a football disaster, for the quarterback and for the Washington Commanders, who acquired him with the belief - a foolhardy one, as many suspected from the start - that he would lead a turnaround at the QB position and a turnaround for the franchise.
He broke his finger. And the season, from what we are told, sort of broke his spirit.
So now Wentz sits on the lowest shelf of free agency. He ended up losing his starting spot to Taylor Heinicke and then lost it to Sam Howell (who figures to take over this year) before he was unceremoniously cut in February.
That goodbye calls into question the NFL future of the former No. 2 overall pick, though Wentz is saying intends to play this season. And why not? As abysmal as most of his NFL career has been, he's still 6-5 with an arm that gives him pedigree. He's just 30 years old and there is money to be made ...
But his latest effort - again, not meaning to pile on - comes across as a sort of publicity stunt, as he has enlisted the help of a big-name ex-coach to guide him in his comeback effort.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Wentz, who had been working out in L.A., is now spending time in Tampa with Jon Gruden in Tampa. Schefter writes that Wentz has been "throwing" (that seems wise) and "studying film" with the Super Bowl-winning Gruden.
It's an interesting pairing, as Gruden's exit from the NFL - remember the nasty emails? - make him a sort of reclamation project as well.
So ... we're curious. Did Wentz call Schefter to ask that he report on the QB's grind? Did Gruden - formerly employed alongside Schefter at ESPN - make that call? Somewhere in here is Schefter obliged to mention some hard truths about Wentz (if not about Gruden) by writing more than, Wentz "is looking for the right opportunity."
Wentz "is looking for the right opportunity"? That's simply false. He was working out in L.A., almost across the street from the previously-QB-needy Rams HQ, and the Rams never even called him in for a visit. Indeed, to our knowledge, nobody has called him in for a visit.
Can that change as injuries strike in training camp and in the preseason? Of course. And again, somewhere in there, Wentz - who in the 2017 season led the Philadelphia Eagles to the playoffs while drawing consideration for the MVP award - might still be able to play. But he'll need that "throwing" and that "film study" way more than he needs ESPN to help him with a PR stunt.
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