Taylor Heinicke Time? Commanders Backup QB Could Start After Carson Wentz Injury

The Washington Commanders grabbed a much-needed win Thursday night against the Chicago Bears. However, it came at the price of potentially losing Carson Wentz for a few weeks.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 15, 2022

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Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders are off this weekend after a 12-7 win against the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football. But the team could look a little different next weekend against the Green Bay Packers.

It was revealed Saturday morning that quarterback Carson Wentz fractured his finger in the first half of Thursday's win and that he will head to Los Angeles to seek a medical opinion on whether or not he would need surgery. There are rumors swirling around that Wentz could miss up to six weeks, which likely means the Commanders will call upon backup Taylor Heinicke to fill in.

Heinicke started 15 games for Washington last season, throwing for 3,419 yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. The Commanders like Heinicke, but not enough to keep him as the starter despite playing most of the snaps at quarterback last season. Washington also drafted North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell in the fifth round of this year's draft, but he's been inactive for all six of the team's games so far.

The team could turn to Howell at some point, but while the team is still fighting on the small sliver of hope for this year's playoffs, Heinicke will likely be under center should Wentz miss any time ... and he'll be tasked with continuing the turnaround for Washington this season.

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Published Oct 15, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.