Commander Country

BREAKING: Commanders Release Carson Wentz; Sam Howell Starting?

Carson Wentz lasted just one season with the Washington Commanders, failing to live up to the hype as the team's starting quarterback.

Jeremy Brener

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The Washington Commanders are saving some money to start off the week.

According to ESPN, the Commanders are cutting quarterback Carson Wentz, a move that was expected by many going into the offseason.

After being traded by the Indianapolis Colts last season to Washington, Wentz was unable to live up to the hype as the team's starting quarterback upgrade.

Wentz went 2-4 as the starting quarterback before suffering a broken finger that held him out for two months. During his time on the sideline, backup Taylor Heinicke performed well and won the starting job from Wentz. However, his struggles towards the end of the season eventually triggered head coach Ron Rivera to move back to Wentz as the starter.

In a crucial Week 17 contest that the Commanders needed to win, Wentz threw for just 143 yards and three interceptions in a loss to the Cleveland Browns that eliminated Washington from the playoffs. That wound up being Wentz's final appearance with the Commanders.

By cutting Wentz, the Commanders are saving over $26 million in cap space this offseason, much of which could be used on the franchise tag for Daron Payne. It could also be used to sign veterans across the roster, even at the quarterback position.

However, the team is very high on second-year pro Sam Howell, tabbing him the "likely" starter ahead of the offseason. With Wentz gone, Howell is the lone quarterback on the roster at the moment. There's a chance Heinicke could return, but he'll have the chance to test the market as a free agent.

Now that the biggest to-do item on the Commanders list is checked off, the team can now move forward with improving the team this offseason.

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Jeremy Brener
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.

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