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The Washington Commanders suffered a blow as starting quarterback Carson Wentz was ruled out for 4-6 weeks with a fractured ring finger. He is currently in Los Angeles meeting with a hand specialist about the injury. The timeline points to a lengthy stint on the injured reserve list for Wentz.
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The impact of this injury will be felt beyond the Washington Commanders' locker room. The trade that took him from Indianapolis to Washington in the offseason gave the Colts a conditional second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. This kicks in should Wentz play 70 percent of the snaps or more. Failing that, the pick becomes a third-round selection.
Having started the first six weeks of the season, Carson Wentz is 144-for-232 on passes for 1,489 yards, 10 touchdowns, six interceptions and 23 sacks. The Commanders currently have a 2-4 record.
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Who is Commanders' backup QB?
Taylor Heinicke is next in line on the depth chart and is expected to begin the upcoming games backed up by Sam Howell.
The good news for Washington is that Heinicke has had plenty of experience as a backup quarterback in the league. In 2020, he replaced Dwayne Haskins in the final game of the regular season. He also led the team in the playoffs when Alex Smith could not return in time. But his performances were not enough to convince the team to retain him as the starting quarterback.
They got Ryan Fitzpatrick in to fill that role. However, Fitzpatrick was injured in the first game of the 2021-22 season, and Taylor Heinicke came in to relieve him. He would go on to start the remaining games, except once in Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles due to a positive COVID-19 test.
The start of the season saw him in familiar territory again as he was the designated backup to new signing Carson Wentz. But it looks like an opportunity has risen again. He will be in line to lead the Commanders for at least the next month or so.
Last season, he threw for 3,419 yards and recorded 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions with an average passer rating of 85.9. Last season contributed to the majority of his career output in the NFL. This is because he played more games last season than the rest of his career combined. His record reads a total of 3,886 passing yards for 22 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.
