Will Commanders QB Carson Wentz Play in Preseason?
To play or not to play?
That is the question all 32 teams ask themselves of its most important players at this time of the year.
Do you play your best players to get them back in a rhythm and help shake off an offseason worth of dust or do you sideline and protect them from suffering a potential injury in a meaningless game.
For Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz, that question was answered during Saturday night's post-practice media session.
“He’ll play," coach Ron Rivera said. "He’ll definitely play.”
Wentz is arguably the team's most important acquisition of the offseason after being traded to Washington for a pair of third-round draft picks.
After finishing 7-10 last season and landing outside the playoff picture, the Commanders knew they needed a quarterback upgrade in order to improve as a team. And Wentz is the man they are counting on to get the job done.
For the most part, Wentz has been healthy throughout his career. Out of a possible 97 career games, Wentz has played in 85 of them. The biggest injury he suffered came back in 2017 when he tore his ACL in December in the middle of a Super Bowl run.
Last season with the Indianapolis Colts, Wentz played and started in all 17 games, a feat he hopes to accomplish again this season with the Commanders.
The decision to play Wentz in the preseason likely stems from his unfamiliarity with the team and there is hope that adding some reps during preseason can help him prepare better for the regular season.
"I trust their decision, I trust what coach [Scott] Turner thinks, I trust what coach Rivera thinks and everything," Wentz said. "I know as an offense, you know, there are some new pieces, there are some new things so I know we want to get out there, so we’ll trust them to make the call in terms of how much. Either way I’m excited to run out there and, you know, get some live action a little bit.”
Wentz and the Commanders make their preseason debut Saturday against the Carolina Panthers at 1 p.m.
