The Commanders plan to play QB Carson Wentz and other starters for about 15-20 snaps in the preseason opener against the Panthers, according to The Washington Post. We'd bet on that increasing for the 2nd exhibition. We'll be interested to see how Wentz fares with his new WRs, as well as rookie RB Brian Robinson's role and performance.
The Commanders grabbed North Carolina QB Sam Howell with the 1st pick of Round 5. Howell started all 3 years at Chapel Hill, opening his career impressively with 3,641 passing yards and 38 TDs as a freshman and 3,586 yards and 30 TDs as a sophomore. He took a considerable step back this past season, though, finishing with 3,056 yards and 24 TDs. Losing Javonte Williams, Michael Carter, Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome to the NFL certainly played a part, but Howell also set a 3-year low in Pro Football Focus passing grade. Howell did set career highs with 828 rushing yards and 11 TDs in 2021, though. He has plenty of arm strength and might be the best deep-ball thrower in this year’s QB class. Howell is also entering the NFL at just 21 years old, so there’s upside here. He’ll compete with Taylor Heinicke for Washington’s backup job behind Carson Wentz at least to open this season. But Howell has the potential to develop into the Commanders’ starter down the road.
The Colts traded QB Carson Wentz to the Commanders. Indianapolis is receiving "a package of picks that is thought to include two third-round picks," according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Washington is also paying the full $28 million that Wentz is owed for 2022. The 29-year-old was just ok for the Colts last season, posting a 62.4% completion rate, 6.9 yards-per-attempt average and 27 TDs vs. 7 INTs. Pro Football Focus graded Wentz 20th among 31 qualifiers. He's not a difference-maker at the position but should be an upgrade over Washington's Taylor Heinicke-led QB room last year. Consider Wentz's arrival a slight boost for WR Terry McLaurin, RB Antonio Gibson and the rest of the Commanders' skill-position players. Wentz should provide some spot-start fantasy value but isn't an exciting pick in early drafts. We'll see what the Colts plan to do at QB. They're currently left with Sam Ehlinger and James Morgan.
Update: Per Schefter, the Commanders are getting Wentz and a 2022 2nd-round pick in exchange for 2022 2nd- and 3rd-rounders and a 2023 3rd-rounder that becomes a 2nd if Wentz plays 70+% of the offensive snaps this season.
Colts QB Carson Wentz (COVID) has been medically cleared to play vs. the Raiders today, HC Frank Reich told NFL Network's Stacey Dales. Wentz is just a QB2 in what figures to be another run-heavy attack from the Colts. But he's good news for RB Jonathan Taylor and WR Michael Pittman
The Colts have activated QB Carson Wentz from the COVID list. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports that the QB still needs to gain final clearance to play in Sunday's game against the Raiders. We'll watch for that heading into the 1 p.m. ET kickoff.
The NFL announced changes to the COVID protocol on Tuesday. Most notable is that fully vaccinated players can be cleared and return in less than 5 days if their symptoms have improved, while unvaccinated players are out for at least 5 days from the positive test. This means guys like Carson Wentz, Mike Evans and Mike Williams have a chance to be cleared for Week 17. We'll keep you updated on all the guys on the COVID list.
The Colts are placing QB Carson Wentz on the COVID list. It's not immediately clear whether he tested positive, but that would knock Wentz out for at least 10 days because he's unvaccinated. Sam Ehlinger is the backup. The rookie beat Jacob Eason for the backup job over the summer but has yet to throw a regular-season pass in the NFL.
The forecast for tonight's Colts-49ers game calls for a 100% chance of rain with winds of 20-30 mph. That's ugly -- and certainly enough to impact the passing and kicking games. We'd try to avoid both of these passing games outside of 49ers WR Deebo Samuel and Colts WR Michael Pittman. You should also stay away from both Ks.
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