Commanders Designate QB Carson Wentz For Return
The Commanders have their highest-paid quarterback back at practice Wednesday. They designated Carson Wentz to return from IR, giving the veteran passer three weeks to be activated.
Wentz suffered a fractured finger during Washington’s Week 6 win in Chicago and underwent surgery. He has missed five games — one more than the minimum for 2022 IR stays — and seen the team change its quarterback plan during that absence. Taylor Heinicke has since regained his spot as the team’s starting quarterback.
Ron Rivera (via Commanders.com’s Zach Selby) has since confirmed Sunday reports that indicated Heinicke would keep his job even when Wentz returns. While Heinicke’s grip on the gig is still somewhat tenuous, the team’s primary 2021 starter retaking the reins doubles as Wentz’s second benching in three seasons. Wentz is unlikely to return this week, per Rivera, who said rookie Sam Howell will remain Heinicke’s backup, Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post tweets.
After inquiring on just about every potentially available quarterback this offseason — one that included a three-first-rounder offer to the Seahawks for Russell Wilson — the Commanders sent the Colts a 2022 third-round pick and a conditional 2023 choice for Wentz. That pick will looks set to become a third-rounder instead of a second, with Wentz unlikely to hit the 70% snap benchmark necessary for the pick to land in Round 2. This comes after Wentz met the participation-based conditions for the Eagles to nab a first-rounder this year. The Commanders and Colts also swapped 2022 second-round picks in this year’s Wentz trade, giving the Colts the No. 42 overall choice and the Commanders the 47th pick.
Wentz, 29, has been unable to re-establish himself as a solid starter in Washington. The team went 2-4 in Wentz’s starts. While wins and losses are obviously far from the best measure for quarterback success, the Commanders’ surge under Heinicke essentially left Rivera with little choice to stay the course. The team is now 6-5 and gunning for a wild-card spot. Wentz has, however, doubled Heinicke in touchdown passes (1o to five). The two are also separated by just 0.4 points in quarterback rating, keeping the door open for Wentz to re-emerge at some point later this season.
The trade prices notwithstanding, the 2020s have represented a steep fall from grace for Wentz. After seeing an ACL tear almost certainly deny him an MVP honor in 2017, Wentz never regained that form. He has shown flashes — helping a receiver-depleted 2019 Eagles team to the playoffs, a 27-7 TD-INT ratio during a polarizing Colts stay that ended quite poorly — but is moving toward failure in his latest bounce-back opportunity. The former No. 2 overall pick is on the Commanders’ books (via the Eagles extension he inked back in 2019) through 2024 but can be jettisoned free of charge next year.
Commanders Name Taylor Heinicke Week 7 Starting QB
Carson Wentz‘s first season in the nation’s capital has been put on pause due to the finger injury he suffered during the team’s Week 6 game. He has since undergone surgery, but is facing a multi-week absence. His immediate replacement was confirmed on Tuesday. 
Head coach Ron Rivera named Taylor Heinicke Washington’s starting quarterback for Week 7 against the Packers. That comes as little surprise, given his experience with the team and the total lack thereof regarding the alternative, rookie Sam Howell. “We think he’s on track,” Rivera said of Howell, “but Taylor right now gives us the best opportunity to be successful” (Twitter link via Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post).
Heinicke, 29, is in his third season with Washington. He dressed for only one regular season contest in 2020, but made a name for himself in the playoffs in a one-score loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Buccaneers. That landed him a two-year extension laden with playing-time incentives.
He started all but one regular season contest he appeared in last year, going 7-8 and completing 65% of his passes. His 6.9 yards per attempt average and 20:15 touchdown-to-interception ratio left plenty to be desired, and made Washington a key player in the offseason QB market. They made a sizeable move in trading for Wentz, but it was made clear after the draft that Heinicke would remain his backup.
Howell will dress as the QB2 on Sunday, after being inactive for the first six weeks of the campaign. The 22-year-old burst onto the scene at North Carolina, throwing 38 touchdowns as a freshman in 2019. After a successful sophomore season, his passing numbers took a step back in 2021, though he added 828 yards and 11 scores on the ground. He ultimately fell to the fifth round – joining a number of other passers in April’s underwhelming class on Day 3 – setting him up for what the team hopes will be a strictly developmental season.
In a depth move to in the wake of Wentz’s absence, the Commanders also signed Jake Fromm to the practice squad, per a team announcement. The former Bills draftee started twice for the Giants last year, and recently worked out with the Dolphins amidst their QB injury woes. A decision on whether or not Wentz will be placed on IR, meanwhile, is expected to be made later this week, reports CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson (Twitter link).
NFC Rumors: Corral, Howell, Garoppolo, Bears
Many expected there to be an early run on quarterbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft. Although nine passers did hear their names called in the three-day event, only Steelers’ selection Kenny Pickett was a Day 1 pick. With first-round hopefuls such as Desmond Ridder (Falcons), Malik Willis (Titans), and Matt Corral (Panthers) all falling to the later days of the draft, what does the 2022 NFL season look like for each rookie?
When looking at the potential debut dates for each quarterback, it was determined that only one quarterback was essentially a lock to play in their rookie season, according to ESPN’s David Newton, and it isn’t the first-round pick. When breaking down the percentage chance for each quarterback to start in Week 1, the percentage chance for each rookie to sit all season, and the best prediction for when each player will make their first start, Newton gave Carolina’s Corral a zero-percent chance of sitting all season. The next closest was Ridder, who was given a 20% chance of sitting all season, in the case that Mariota solidifies himself as Atlanta’s starter and keeps them near playoff contention.
Corral shares a position room with incumbents Sam Darnold and P.J. Walker, who both failed to impress in starts last year. Even after bringing back Cam Newton, the Panthers didn’t have a single quarterback on their roster complete at least 60% of their passes or throw more touchdowns than they did interceptions. With Carolina seeing such abysmal quarterback play last year, there is absolutely justification in the assertion that the Panthers are almost guaranteed to give Corral a look at some point in the season.
Here are a few other rumors from around the NFC, starting with a note on another rookie quarterback:
- Also a first-round hopeful at points in the pre-draft process, Washington’s first selection of the fifth-round this year, Sam Howell, is potentially on the opposite end of the spectrum from Corral. Howell can probably be considered a guarantee to sit his entire rookie season for the Commanders. A couple weeks before deciding to select Howell, Washington traded second- and seventh-round picks to the Colts in exchange for veteran quarterback Carson Wentz. Wentz will likely take the starting job in DC with last year’s starter, Taylor Heinicke, filling the role of highly qualified backup. Heinicke, though, is in a contract year and drafting Howell provides the Commanders with the option of letting Heinicke walk if the price isn’t right or the need isn’t there. Unfortunately for Howell, this likely means he won’t see the field anytime soon. Fortunately for Howell, he’ll have the old-fashioned approach of sitting, learning, and developing as a new NFL quarterback.
- The 49ers have been trying for months to work some trade-value out of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. An intriguing trade possibility was hatched during today’s episode of the 49ers Talk podcast involving another team that been looking for trade partners this offseason. NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco and Jennifer Lee Chan discussed the idea of trading Garoppolo to the Browns. Cleveland has been attempting to dump Baker Mayfield off for some value maybe even more desperately than San Francisco has with Garoppolo and offseason trade acquisition Deshaun Watson could be staring down a year-long suspension. Behind Mayfield and Garoppolo, the Browns roster Jacoby Brissett and Joshua Dobbs. While, at times, the Browns have boasted confidence in Brissett should they need him, that confidence may have been based on the assumption that Watson would only miss a couple games. A one-year suspension may have Cleveland entertaining the possibility of acquiring their fourth new quarterback of the offseason.
- At an extremely unlikely time for such moves to be happening, the Bears fired director of player engagement LaMar Campbell this weekend, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Campbell had been with Chicago since 2015 and was most recently a member of the committee that was assembled as the team searched for a new general manager and head coaching tandem. Not only did Campbell have the trust of the owners and committee, but he was highly respected in the locker room, as well. The timing is rough for Campbell as, at this point in the offseason, most teams have already completed their spring cleaning and hiring of their support staffs.
Seahawks Were High On QB Sam Howell
New Commanders quarterback Sam Howell, whom Washington selected in the fifth round of this year’s draft, had a lot of supporters in the Seahawks organization, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (subscription required). Seattle, which of course traded franchise icon Russell Wilson to the Broncos earlier this offseason, was connected to collegiate QBs throughout the predraft process, but the team decided against drafting a signal-caller.
Part of the reason for that is the Seahawks’ opinion of Drew Lock and Geno Smith. Head coach Pete Carroll has consistently praised Lock since acquiring him in the Wilson deal, and Smith flashed when filling in for an injured Wilson for a few games in 2021. Plus, as Fowler adds, the team wanted to improve the overall depth of its roster since it had only three selections in the 2021 draft.
The ‘Hawks are particularly high on fourth-round cornerback Coby Bryant, whom they believe only fell to the middle rounds because of injury concerns, and second-round running back Kenneth Walker III, who will pair with Rashaad Penny to create a potentially formidable 1-2 punch in the offensive backfield. Plus, since a quarterback like Howell would almost certainly be behind Lock and Smith on the 2022 depth chart, Seattle felt its draft resources would be better-utilized on immediate contributors like Bryant and Walker instead of a QB3. If the team is still in need of a signal-caller next year, the 2023 draft offers more intriguing quarterback talent than the 2022 draft did.
That is not to say, of course, that another QB addition is off the table. Although Carroll said he does not believe the Seahawks will trade for a passer (like well-documented trade candidates Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo), injuries could always change that stance. And if Mayfield and/or Garoppolo should be released by their current clubs and become free agents, Seattle could be interested at that point.
The team is also rostering Jacob Eason and rookie UDFA Levi Lewis at the moment.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/6/22
Here are the latest draft pick signings:
Baltimore Ravens
- RB Tyler Badie (sixth round, Missouri)
Chicago Bears
- T Braxton Jones (fifth round, Southern Utah)
- DE Dominique Robinson (fifth round, Miami University)
- RB Trestan Ebner (sixth round, Baylor)
- C Doug Kramer (sixth round, Illinois)
- T Ja’Tyre Carter (seventh round, Southern)
- DB Elijah Hicks (seventh round, California)
- P Trenton Gill (seventh round, North Carolina State)
Green Bay Packers
- LB Quay Walker (first round, Georgia)
- DT Devonte Wyatt (first round, Georgia)
- T Sean Rhyan (third round, UCLA)
- LB Kingsley Enagbare (fifth round, South Carolina)
- DB Tariq Carpenter (seventh round, Georgia Tech)
- DT Jonathan Ford (seventh round, Miami)
- WR Samori Toure (seventh round, Nebraska)
Kansas City Chiefs
- CB Trent McDuffie (first round, Washington)
- DE George Karlaftis (first round, Purdue)
- S Bryan Cook (second round, Cincinnati)
- G Darian Kinnard (fifth round, Kentucky)
- CB Jaylen Watson (seventh round, Washington State)
- RB Isiah Pacheco (seventh round, Rutgers)
- S Nazeeh Johnson (seventh round, Marshall)
Philadelphia Eagles
- DT Jordan Davis (first round, Georgia)
- LB Kyron Johnson (sixth round, Kansas)
- TE Grant Calcaterra (sixth round, SMU)
Seattle Seahawks
- DB Tariq Woolen (fifth round, Texas-San Antonio)
- LB Tyreke Smith (fifth round, Ohio State)
- WR Bo Melton (seventh round, Rutgers)
- WR Dareke Young (seventh round, Lenoir-Rhyne)
Washington Commanders
- QB Sam Howell (fifth round, North Carolina)
- TE Cole Turner (fifth round, Nevada)
- T Chris Paul (seventh round, Tulsa)
- DB Christian Holmes (seventh round, Oklahoma State)
Panthers Still Open To Veteran QB Addition
Although the Panthers came away with a Day 2 quarterback in this draft (Matt Corral), third-round picks do not necessarily block teams from further investments at this position. The team will continue to look into the likes of Jimmy Garoppolo, Baker Mayfield and now Nick Foles, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes.
GM Scott Fitterer said post-draft the team would go with its current group — one headlined by Sam Darnold and Corral — but Garoppolo or Mayfield would provide an upgrade. The Panthers and Browns had discussed Mayfield ahead of last week’s second round but could not determine how to divvy up the since-replaced QB’s fifth-year option salary ($18.9MM). Darnold is already attached to that sum, which would make Carolina eating all of Mayfield’s option price a non-starter. As such, Mayfield is in limbo.
This marks the second Garoppolo connection to form in the past few days, with the Texans also believed to have the longtime 49ers starter on their radar. Houston did not draft a quarterback last week. Few Garoppolo connections emerged this offseason, with the 49ers’ high asking price limiting teams’ interest. The eight-year veteran’s shoulder surgery provided a roadblock as well.
Foles, 33, languished on the Bears’ bench for most of last season. The former Super Bowl MVP also lost his starting job in both 2019 (to Gardner Minshew in Jacksonville) and ’20 (to Mitchell Trubisky, after having taken it from the incumbent earlier that year). Last season, Andy Dalton and Justin Fields ran Chicago’s offense in all but one game — a Foles-directed win in Seattle — and the Bears finally cut bait after the draft.
Corral became a Panther after the team traded into the third round, giving up its 2023 third-rounder to do so, but the team might have had its eye on a different QB. The Panthers had a deal on the table to trade back into Round 2, when Corral, Malik Willis and Desmond Ridder were on the board amid their Friday-night freefalls.
“I had the card in my hand, and [owner David Tepper] looks at me and says, ‘What do you want to do?’” Fitterer said, via Breer. “And we both just kind of took a moment, and we looked at the board, and we decided the right thing to do was to be patient. Let’s not overpay. Let’s be smart about this. Let’s not dig ourselves in a hole for next year. Let’s inch back on trading with these quarterbacks.”
The Falcons and Titans took Ridder and Willis, respectively, and Breer adds the Panthers would have been fine going with Sam Howell instead of Corral. They decided on the Ole Miss product, and the in-state product fell all the way to Washington atop Round 5.
Commanders Draft Sam Howell At No. 144
This draft’s slow-paced approach with non-Kenny Pickett quarterbacks affected Sam Howell, whose wait lasted well into Day 3. The Commanders stopped the skid.
Washington led off the fifth round by taking the North Carolina passer at No. 144. Howell is this draft’s sixth QB selected, coming in behind Pickett, Desmond Ridder, Malik Willis, Matt Corral and Bailey Zappe.
Although Howell waited much longer to hear his name called than expected, he lands in an interesting place. The Commanders took on Carson Wentz‘s full salary in their trade with the Colts, but the twice-traded quarterback is a year-to-year proposition. Wentz is on Washington’s books at $28.3MM this year, with $22MM of that figure being guaranteed. None of Wentz’s money over the next two years is guaranteed.
While the prospect of Howell becoming a starter is jumping the gun, as there are currently no fifth-round QBs penciled in as their teams’ starters, the Commanders have started five Week 1 QBs in the past six years. Wentz will become No. 6, with the former North Carolina passer set to develop behind he and Taylor Heinicke. The latter’s contract runs through 2022.
The Giants were also linked to Howell, viewing him as a possible late-Day 2 addition. ESPN rated the 6-foot Howell as its No. 50 overall prospect. But teams’ collective views on this quarterback class checked in even lower than the public’s, allowing for other positional attention as QBs slid. Howell was once viewed as a potential first-round pick. He exited his sophomore year with a 68-to-14 touchdown pass-to-interception ratio, playing with the likes of Javonte Williams, Michael Carter, Dazz Newsome and Dyami Brown. Howell and Brown are now reunited in Washington, which used a third-round pick on the wideout last year.
Without those players last season, Howell’s stock fell a bit. Although, he still entered the draft after his junior year. He was viewed as a likely Day 2 selection, behind the bulk of the aforementioned passers. Zappe going in front of the ex-Tar Heel was somewhat surprising, given their pre-draft stocks, but Howell may have landed in a better spot for potential playing time down the road.
Draft Notes: Remaining QBs, Jets, Vikings, Burks, Johnson
One of the main storylines from last night’s first round was the fact that only one quarterback came off the board. The Steelers have their preferred choice in Kenny Pickett, but the other top options likely won’t have to wait long to hear their names called.
Jeff Howe of the Athletic reports (via Twitter) that “several teams” are trying to move up in the second round. As a result, there is “anticipation that a QB run could be on the way”. A number of teams could be interested in adding the likes of Malik Willis, Sam Howell, Desmond Ridder and Matt Corral as intriguing developmental options.
On that point, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer names the Titans, Falcons, Seahawks and Commanders as teams to watch for. He reports that “Ridder’s name has been consistently connected to Tennessee”, who now holds the 35th overall pick. The other teams have done significant work on signal-callers as well. Perhaps eyeing a passer, the Seahawks have made “exploratory calls” about moving up tonight, per CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson (Twitter link).
Here are some other notes looking back on last night:
- The Jets, as it has been reported, were willing to part with the No. 10 pick for Deebo Samuel. They almost made a different deal with that selection, though, as detailed by ESPN’s Rich Cimini (on Twitter). New York wanted to swap with Seattle for No. 9 to avoid a team leapfrogging them to select Garrett Wilson. Both teams were able to successfully stand pat, ultimately getting Charles Cross and Wilson, respectively.
- Not long after the top-10 was complete, the Vikings ceded the 12th overall pick to the Lions. With their second first-rounder, Detroit selected Jameson Williams, who may have been the pick at that spot had Minnesota kept it. Breer reports that the Alabama receiver “was very much in play ” for the Vikings, who added Lewis Cine and two Day 2 picks as a result of the deal.
- Another of the top receivers to be taken last night was Treylon Burks, whom the Titans selected as a replacement for A.J. Brown. When speaking to Pat McAfee, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said the Arkansas alum “was the guy Aaron Rodgers wanted” (video link). With him off the board, the Packers extended their streak of not using a Round 1 pick on a wideout, but he reports that they are a candidate to trade up for one tonight (video link).
- One of the most surprising fallers on Thursday night was pass rusher Jermaine Johnson II. Part of the reason he was still on the board for the Jets at No. 25, Breer notes, was poor interviews with teams in the pre-draft process. Thought by some as a top-10 pick, he ended up with the Jets anyway, and figures to serve as a notable boost to their pass rush.
Latest On Panthers’ QB Pursuit
4:46pm: The Panthers and Browns have continued their conversations on Mayfield, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com notes (video link). The expectation now is Cleveland needing to eat a chunk of Mayfield’s $18.9MM fifth-year option salary would stand to improve Mayfield’s price tag, but NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport adds the cost for the since-replaced QB is expected to be a Day 3 pick.
The Panthers are also a candidate to trade into Round 2 for a rookie, but that would be quite costly. Because of its trades for Sam Darnold and C.J. Henderson, Carolina does not pick again until No. 137. Carolina is, however, high on Willis and Corral. Both visited the Panthers earlier this month, joining fellow potential Carolina target Howell in doing so.
12:04pm: Day 1 of this year’s draft has come and gone, and Sam Darnold remains at the top of the Panthers’ quarterback depth chart. While that doesn’t come as a surprise, the team’s situation at the position could still change in the near future. 
[RELATED: Panthers Select Ekwonu At No. 6]
According to Jeff Howe of the Athletic, Carolina’s interest in veterans such as Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo could heat back up. Given the fact that they made the expected move to bolster their offensive line by drafting Ikem Ekwonu sixth overall, he writes, the Panthers “now should be players for Mayfield.”
The two parties were linked in the build-up to the draft, with Carolina finding themselves as one of the runners-up to acquire Deshaun Watson. After initial reports indicated the team had little, if any, interest in Mayfield, the Panthers emerged in the eyes of many as the favorite to acquire him. Doing so, however, was only thought to be feasible after at least the draft’s opening round.
As Howe notes, any potential trade involving Mayfield is complicated by a number of factors. One is his contract; the 2018 No. 1 pick is due $18.86MM on the fifth-year option, just as Darnold is. For that reason, Howe writes, “the Browns are prepared to pay a portion of Mayfield’s salary to facilitate a deal.” Another is the team’s complete lack of Day 2 picks, taking them out of the running to draft the likes of Malik Willis, Desmond Ridder, Sam Howell or Matt Corral without sacrificing 2023 capital.
“I think we’ll look at every opportunity out there” said general manager Scott Fitterer, via Howe’s colleague Joe Person, regarding the QB market. “There’s still some really good players in this draft. And we’ll also look at every opportunity outside the organization.” Whether the team acts on those opportunities will be worth monitoring as the weekend progresses.
Teams Targeting Late First-Round QB Trade-Ups?
It is widely known by this point that the 2022 quarterback class is not held in the same regard as the average one. That has made it difficult to pin down the likely landing spots for the top prospects at the position, as well as the number of teams willing to spend a first-round pick on one of them. It would appear as though the back end of Day 1 could become the source of some QB-related trades, however. 
[RELATED: Interest In First-Round QBs Cooling?]
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that while Malik Willis and Kenny Pickett are the top options, the possibility exists for the next tier of passers to start being taken late in the opening round (video link). That group – which consists of Sam Howell, Desmond Ridder and Matt Corrall – could be the target of teams trading up from early in the second round.
As Pelissero notes, there are a number of teams near the top of the second round which could select a signal-caller. That list includes the Seahawks and Falcons; if they decline to draft the likes of Willis or Pickett in the top-10, they could try to move into the late 20s to land one of the three other passers in the (seemingly likely) event they are still available.
One team to consider in that scenario is the Lions. While they are expected to target the top remaining edge rusher with the No. 2 pick, the team also owns No. 32. It is with that final Day 1 selection, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reports, that Detroit “is more likely [to] snag a QB… or move up a bit from there to do so”. Competition between the Lions and a number of other interested teams could create the circumstances needed for there to be “a run on some of those other quarterbacks”, as Pelissero details.
The pre-draft process has seen a number of opinions come out regarding this QB class and the value of developmental signal-callers versus more surefire prospects at other positions. Much will depend, of course, on how high Willis and Pickett go, but those two may not be the only passers to hear their names called on Day 1.