Carson Wentz signing with Los Angeles Rams
The Rams are signing Carson Wentz, the one-time No. 2 player in the NFL Draft, as a backup to starter Matthew Stafford.
Wentz has been out of football since the end of last season when he was with the Washington Commanders. He and Colt McCoy were two of the most experienced quarterbacks left on the NFL free-agent market.
ESPN and KPRC both reported the news about Carson Wentz, although the Rams have yet to announce the signing.
The Eagles selected Wentz with the No. 2 pick of the 2016 draft. This was after he’d led the North Dakota State Bisons to consecutive FCS national championships.
A year after Philadelphia drafted him, Carson Wentz posted an amazing season. He helped lead the Eagles to the top seed of the NFC playoffs, going 11-2 in his first 13 starts. But he suffered an ACL tear that took him out of action days before Christmas. The Eagles, with Nick Foles, eventually won the Super Bowl, beating Tom Brady and the Patriots for the NFL’s most-coveted trophy.
The Eagles eventually traded Wentz to the Colts in March 2021, for a first- and third-round draft pick. After going 9-8 and missing the playoffs, the Colts flipped Wentz to Washington for the 2022 season. The Commanders released him at the end of the season after the quarterback threw for Wentz for 1,755 yards, 11 touchdowns and 9 interceptions while playing in eight games.
Despite injuries to so many quarterbacks, it took Wentz until November to find a team for 2023.
The Rams need a quarterback as they head into their bye week. Stafford suffered a sprained ligament in his thumb two weeks ago during a loss to the Cowboys. Brett Rypien replaced him in the lineup this past Sunday and the Rams lost to the struggling Packers, 20-3. Rypien threw for only 172 yards, with an interception and zero touchdowns.
Rams coach Sean McVay said he wanted some competition for the backup quarterback spot. In making way for Wentz, LA released Denver Winn, who they signed to the practice squad last week. At the time, the Rams had only two quarterbacks on the active roster with rookie Stetson Bennett still on the non-football injury list.