Commanders to Cut QB Carson Wentz After Lackluster 2022 Season?
ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Commanders entered the new era of franchise football with a whimper.
Fan reactions to the new name, logo, and uniform were not warm.
And an offseason trade to acquire quarterback Carson Wentz was labeled as 'desperate' and not received any better.
Moving forward begins with looking back at the decisions made, and the results, and then ultimately deciding how to move forward.
"I think we had several talented guys," Commanders general manager Martin Mayhew said when asked to look back at the team's quarterback situation. "We did a lot of work on Carson (Wentz). We knew a lot about him...We thought he was a good fit for how we wanted to play football. We weren't able to play the style of ball we wanted to play the first couple of games...Didn't have the run game going the way we wanted it going."
Mayhew continued by acknowledging the Wentz-led offense was two-to-one in pass-to-run ratio when Washington wanted to be more the opposite.
The result of an injury suffered by running back Brian Robinson Jr. prior to the start of the regular season, and early struggles by the defense resulted in opponents scoring more than 20 points in each of the team's first five contests.
By contrast, beginning with the Week 6 win over the Chicago Bears, the Commanders' defense surrendered more than 20 points just four more times all year long.
The question remains, however.
Will Washington carry Wentz into 2023, or will the organization do what many want and even expect them to, and move on from their second veteran quarterback installation in two years?
"We're currently working through all that and having discussions," Mayhew said when asked specifically about Wentz's future. "We're still in that kind of season review process. Over the next few days we'll be talking about all those things and trying to sort that out."
Not exactly the definitive answer some hoped for.
Although, if all the signs are indicating accurately, it appears Wentz will not be wearing burgundy and gold next year.
The one-time starter who coach Ron Rivera proclaimed was his guy was the team's inactive third-string quarterback in the final week of the season.
And Wentz also avoided speaking with media on the final day of player availability during locker cleanout.
Not typically a sign that someone is expecting to be in the conversation of leading a squad the next season.
So, Washington will likely move on from yet another failed attempt at finding it's starting quarterback.
The clock is running out on Rivera and Mayhew's time to find the right guy for their run-heavy desired approach.
And with ownership status in the air as well for the Commanders, the clock may actually have already expired.
We just haven't heard the buzzer yet.
Find David Harrison on Twitter @DHarrison82 and on the Locked On Commanders podcast.
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