The NFL has welcomed back Carson Wentz.
Up until Tuesday, the quarterback was a free agent. According to reports, he is signing with the Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams need a reliable backup quarterback because their current quarterback is injured. In the Rams’ Week 8 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Matt Stafford suffered a UCL injury in his right thumb, which is his throwing hand. As a result, he left the game early in the third quarter. In Week 9, Brett Rypien, the backup, started in his place against the Green Bay Packers.
However, Rypien’s debut did not go well, as he lost 20-3 at Lambeau Field on Sunday in an embarrassing and humiliating defeat. It would seem that the Rams selected Wentz by diving into the free agent quarterback pool. It is said that Rypien is being waived.
Wentz has not had a good few years as a starting quarterback. With the Philadelphia Eagles, he reached the pinnacle of his career in 2017 and had an MVP-caliber season, which was abruptly cut short in Week 14 due to a knee injury. Wentz had two mediocre seasons after watching the Eagles win the Super Bowl with his backup quarterback, and that’s when Philly selected Jalen Hurts in April 2020, setting Wentz on the current path.
Wentz’s play apparently betrayed his perceived threat from Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman’s decision to select a highly skilled college quarterback in the second round. Wentz completed just 57.4% of his passes and threw 16 touchdowns over the course of 12 games, in addition to five rushing touchdowns. He also threw 14 interceptions. He allegedly stopped communicating with head coach Doug Pederson at the time, and in the middle of Week 13, Pederson benched him. He never again snapped a football for the Eagles.
After that, things didn’t really get any better. Wentz was traded to the Indianapolis Colts, where he played just one season before his interception in the penultimate play of Week 17 sent the team out of the playoffs. After being traded to the Washington Commanders in 2022, he was benched in favor of Taylor Heinicke midway through the season.
As a starter, all of that would seem to work against him, but as a backup? Wentz is young and healthy, and he has a ton of NFL experience despite not having played yet this season. Furthermore, he most likely needs to be superior to Rypien. The Rams are hopeful that Stafford will return following the Week 10 bye, so that’s really all they’re looking for.
