The Washington Commanders have been struggling at the quarterback position and while Taylor Heinicke remains the starter for the moment, it appears that head coach Ron Rivera is ready to insert Carson Wentz if he struggles.
According to Fox’s Jay Glazer, the Commanders are planning to bench Heinicke and replace him with Wentz if the starter struggles today in the early goings against the San Francisco 49ers.
Breaking: The #Commanders have a plan to bench QB Taylor Heinicke in favor of Carson Wentz if he struggles today during the #49ers game, per @JayGlazer pic.twitter.com/3rxhONwGN3
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 24, 2022
In last week’s loss to the New York Giants, Heinicke went 17-of-29 for 249 yards and a touchdown but also lost two fumbles, one of which was returned for a touchdown. The other fumble came in Giants territory and head coach Ron Rivera would later say that “we can’t do that” while expecting to win games.
Earlier in the week, Rivera alluded to the fact that it was certainly possible that Wentz could end up playing this weekend.
“It is something to be quite frank, I do have to think about at some point,” Rivera said, via John Keim of ESPN.com. “But if we get back on track and play the way we’ve played and do the things we’ve done, then we’ll stick where we are.”
To Heinicke’s credit, the team is 5-2-1 since he took over for Wentz following a 2-4 start. However, with a playoff berth on the line, if he can’t get the job done, it’s understandable why Rivera would feel the need to make a change.
Keep an eye on how things start for Heinicke and the Commanders on Saturday. If it doesn’t go well, expect to see Wentz back on the field sooner than later.
