NFL Tales of the Week – 2022 Week 17 Edition (1-2-23)
By: Tyrone Montgomery Jr.
Headline Photo Credit: Michael Longo-USA Today
What’s Up With The Washington Commanders?
The Washington Commanders have had quite an interesting season this year. Last season, they finished the season with Taylor Heinicke as their QB. He played well for them to be frank. But the feeling in the room was that they can win games with him, but not big meaningful games. So, they brought in Carson Wentz. Wentz played fairly well for the Colts. He took care of the football but he wasn’t able to win the big game that could have taken them to the playoffs. Carson Wentz started the season as QB1 for the Commanders this season. It made a lot of sense early on. The new name and brand were there, so why not bring in a new QB to lead the franchise? Wentz struggled tremendously this season. He was a turnover machine. With his struggles, they went back to Taylor Heinicke to be the starter. He saved the season for the Commanders and brought them into playoff contention. He handed the Philadelphia Eagles their first loss of the season. The Commanders were winning and flying high. Heinicke wasn’t playing his best football but he did manage to revitalize this Commanders’ team. So the Commanders decided to go back to Carson Wentz once again. That decision resulted in a loss to the Cleveland Browns over the weekend. Wentz once again turned the ball over a ton in the game. When asked about the possibility of being eliminated from the playoffs, HC Ron Rivera was clueless about the scenario. All the Commanders had to do was win out and they would make the playoffs. Why would they make a QB change now while Taylor Heinicke has led them to so many wins this season to even get them to this point? That remains to be seen. Washington also has a QB they drafted in Sam Howell who looked amazing in college. Will they ride with him for the remainder of the season? It is uncertain what they will do. But what is certain is the fact that the Commanders aren’t interested in winning this season after the decisions they made during the stretch.
Where Will Derek Carr Play Next Season?
With the benching of Derek Carr in Vegas with the Raiders, the expectation is that he won’t be there next season. That makes many wonders if Devante Adams will be there next season because he went to Vegas to play alongside Carr. That’s another story for a different day. The real question is this: Where will Derek Carr play next season? Well for starters, the Washington Commanders come to mind. They have had their fair share of the shuffle at the QB position. They can never seem to stick with just one guy. This past summer, not only did they sign QB Carson Wentz, but they drafted Sam Howell for UNC as well. The Miami Dolphins would be an interesting option as well. Tua Tagovailoa needs to think about his future in the NFL barring his medical history. The Dolphins should be strongly considering that as well. The New York football Jets would be the perfect situation for Carr. Their defense is pretty solid however they have a lot of weapons offensively that are young with bright futures ahead of them. Keep an eye out for the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts as well as they need to fill their QB position. Derek Carr will have plenty of suitors this summer.
