Commanders QB Carson Wentz Rehabbing From Thumb Surgery; Who Will Start vs. Packers?

Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz suffered a thumb injury Thursday against the Chicago Bears. He is set to undergo surgery this week.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 18, 2022

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The Washington Commanders have a new starting quarterback.

The Commanders are preparing to be the 10th team this season to start a backup quarterback after Carson Wentz underwent thumb surgery Monday.

Wentz fractured his thumb in last week's 12-7 win against the Chicago Bears and is expected to miss four to six weeks with the injury.

With Wentz out, it's next man up for the Commanders ... but who will that be?

Head coach Ron Rivera announced that Taylor Heinicke will start against the Green Bay Packers and Sam Howell will be the backup.

Back in the preseason, Howell threw for 547 yards and a touchdown while completing over 62 percent of his passes. He also ran the ball 13 times for 94 yards and two touchdowns, proving himself to be a dual threat.

Howell won't see the field before Heinicke, but Wentz's injury increases the probability that the rookie could make an appearance this season.

If the Commanders keep their pace for the last two-thirds of the season, the team will pick inside the top-10, and maybe even in the top-5. With rookie quarterbacks C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young and Will Levis potentially declaring for the draft, Washington needs to know what it currently has before making a major investment for the future.

The Commanders and Packers play Sunday at 1 p.m. at FedEx Field.

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Published Oct 18, 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.