The quarterback, who was a free agent until Tuesday, is said to have agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams are now battling with a quarterback injury and require a reliable backup. During the Rams’ Week 8 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Matt Stafford suffered a UCL injury in his right thumb (the one on his throwing hand), forcing him to leave the game early in the third quarter. He was replaced by backup Brett Rypien, who took the field against the Green Bay Packers in Week 9.
However, Rypien’s debut did not go well, culminating in a humiliating and devastating 20-3 loss at Lambeau Field on Sunday. So it looks that the Rams scoured the free agent quarterback market and found Wentz. Rypien is expected to be released.
The last several years have not been good to Wentz as a starting quarterback. He reached his peak with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017, with an MVP-caliber season that was cut short in Week 14 due to a knee injury. After witnessing the Eagles win the Super Bowl with his backup as quarterback, he had two mediocre seasons before the Eagles drafted Jalen Hurts in April 2020, which launched Wentz on the path he is now on.
Wentz apparently felt threatened by Eagles general manager Howie Roseman’s decision to pick a star collegiate quarterback in the second round, and it showed in his performance. Wentz threw 16 touchdowns and five running scores in 12 games while throwing 14 interceptions and completing only 57.4% of his passes. He allegedly stopped speaking with then-head coach Doug Pederson, who benched him in Week 13 of the NFL season. He never played another snap for the Eagles again.
After that, things didn’t get much better. Wentz was dealt to the Indianapolis Colts, where he spent one season before throwing an interception on the final play of Week 17, preventing the team from making the playoffs. In 2022, he was traded to the Washington Commanders, where he was benched in favour of Taylor Heinicke midseason.
All of this appears to work against him as a starter, but as a backup? Wentz has extensive NFL experience and has yet to play this season, so he’s fresh and healthy. And he’s almost probably better than Rypien. That is all the Rams are hoping for, as the organisation believes Stafford will return following the Week 10 bye.
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