USAT: Washington Wire audio clip

USAT: Washington Wire

Mar 26, 2022

This offseason has been one of the wildest in NFL history — perhaps the wildest ever. This offseason has been one for the books, from unprecedented quarterback movement to trades involving star players to the unreal money tossed around; this offseason has been one for the books, and it’s only just over a week old. - The Washington Commanders made it known they would be involved with every available veteran quarterback this offseason. Even if some of the top veterans, such as Russell Wilson, wanted nothing to do with Washington, the Commanders would be aggressive. - That aggressiveness landed Washington Carson Wentz in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts. - How is Wentz’s arrival compared with the rest of the quarterback movement this offseason? CBS Sports recently ranked all the quarterback moves from this offseason, from trades to free-agent signings and Wentz to Washington came in at No. 5: - Wentz has been the butt of jokes and subject of pile-on criticism ever since his abrupt falling-out in Philadelphia, and as Colts GM Chris Ballard noted before dealing the QB after just one year together, most of the concerns are valid. Entering year seven, Wentz still struggles to cut forced throws and delayed decisions out of his game-day toolkit. So the price tag here is steep, especially considering someone like Jameis Winston could’ve given you just as much boom-or-bust potential for half the salary, and at the expense of zero draft picks. Still, he’s capable of top-15 production and certainly offers higher upside than Taylor Heinicke. If all goes poorly in his return to the NFC East, he can be cut without penalty, saving more than $26M in 2023. - The trade has primarily been criticized because Wentz is now on his third team in over 12 months. Some even felt Washington shouldn’t make a trade for Wentz, as many believed the Colts would release him. - Washington made the right move in trading for Wentz. You can argue the draft pick and financial compensation. But, as CBS stated, if the Wentz experiment fails, you can cut bait after the 2022 season with no further financial commitment. - Sure, the draft picks hurt if he fails, but that’s the cost of doing business. If Washington had waited on Indianapolis to potentially release Wentz, what if it never happened? Or, what if the Steelers swooped in and stole Wentz? There were too many unknowns, and the Commanders weren’t going to head into free agency without addressing the position. - Wentz is an upgrade over what Washington has had at quarterback over the last few seasons, and more so than any other position, the cost of upgrading at quarterback is expensive. - This is a make-or-break season for Wentz, and no one understands that better than he does. - - - - - - - - - - - - Email - - - - - Sign up - - - - - - - - Like this article? - Sign up for the Washington Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning - - - - An error has occured - - - Please re-enter your email address. - - - - - - Thanks for signing up! - - - You'll now receive the top Washington Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.

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