Carson Wentz

Frank Reich is expecting big things from Nyheim Hines this season. 

The Indianapolis Colts head coach went so far as to tell reporters that if he played fantasy football, he'd be sure to draft the running back for his team:

I think that last year, as we've documented well, we got probably a tad more run-centric than we wanted to be, than I wanted us to be. Just worked out the way the dynamics were. Nyheim still made an impact in games but not as much as normal and if you look at his years here, it's been like every other year where he seems to have a better year.

I was just laughing with [senior director of football communications Matt] Conti coming in here, talking about Nyheim and I said, 'If I was a fantasy owner, if I was going to be in a fantasy league, I think I'd pick Nyheim this year. I think I'd consider drafting Nyheim. I think it's worth [it] to consider drafting him.'

Some of that is just a coach hyping up his guy. But with Carson Wentz under center—who has been known for holding on to the ball too long in an effort to hit a home run, rather than finding his first read or checkdown options like a back out of the outfield—Hines had a down year in 2021, catching just 40 passes for 310 yards and one touchdown on 57 targets.

His receptions, receiving yards and targets were career lows. 

Hines will never be the primary weapon in Indy's backfield with superstar Jonathan Taylor back there. But with an upgrade at quarterback in Matt Ryan, Hines should see a lot more targets heading his way this season.

While Pro Football Hall of Famer and ESPN commentator Troy Aikman believes the Washington Commanders will be Carson Wentz's "last opportunity" to prove he can be a franchise quarterback, another football league that features some former NFLers says otherwise.

Fan Controlled Football, which features the likes of Terrell Owens, Johnny Manziel and soon Michael Vick, suggested Saturday in a tweet that Wentz has a future in its league should his NFL career come to a halt.

Since finishing third in MVP voting as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017, Wentz has struggled mightily, which has resulted in him bouncing around the league. After spending the 2021 campaign with the Indianapolis Colts, he was traded to the Commanders this offseason.

The 29-year-old completed 62.4 percent of his passes for 3,563 yards and 27 touchdowns against seven interceptions in 17 games for the Colts. It was certainly an improvement from the end of his days in Philadelphia, but he has yet to prove he can be a franchise quarterback.

If Wentz fails in Washington, the team will likely turn to rookie Sam Howell in preparation for the future. Lucky for Wentz, he can still have a career in Fan Controlled Football if all else fails.

In March, the Indianapolis Colts traded Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders, and owner Jim Irsay suggested that Wentz's one year as quarterback of the franchise was a mistake.

On Wednesday, Wentz said on Colin Cowherd's podcast (h/t USA Today's Scott Horner) he was surprised by those comments. 

"Kinda came out of left field," he said. "He's entitled to his own opinion. He's entitled to do what he wants with his football team." 

The Colts traded Wentz to the Commanders this offseason alongside the Nos. 47 and 240 picks in this year's draft for the Nos. 42 and 73 picks this year and a conditional third-rounder next year that will become a second-rounder if Wentz plays 70 percent of the snaps in 2022. 

The Colts then traded a third-round pick to the Atlanta Falcons for Matt Ryan, and Irsay made it clear that the change was vital.

"I think the worst thing you can do is have a mistake and try to keep living with it going forward," he said in March. "For us, it was something we had to move away from as a franchise. It was very obvious."

But where did it go wrong?

Before the 2021 season, the Colts traded a 2021 third-round pick and a 2022 conditional first-rounder to the Philadelphia Eagles for Wentz, a big commitment for a player who had struggled during the 2020 season and wore out his welcome. 

Things got off to a rocky start, with the Colts opening the season 1-4, but they went on to win eight of their next 10 games and appeared to be in the driver's seat for a playoff berth. The Colts could have clinched a berth in Week 17 against the Las Vegas Raiders but lost 23-20. 

Still, they had a shot to make the playoffs in Week 18, assuming they beat the worst team in the league, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Instead, they lost 26-11 as Wentz threw for just 185 yards, a touchdown and an interception while taking six sacks. 

Irsay was incensed. 

"No disrespect to Jacksonville, but I mean, they're the worst team in the league. You play well and hard for the first quarter or so, and they're looking to go to their locker room and clean it out. I've never seen anything like that in my life," he told reporters in March. "You say, 'My God, there's something wrong here.' It needs to be corrected. I think that we feel like we did."

"Your guy's gotta pick you up and carry you through Jacksonville," he said. "He has to do it. Not an option. Has to. No excuses, no explanations."

Wentz finished the season with 3,563 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions, completing 62.4 percent of his passes while taking 32 sacks.

On paper, the numbers don't look bad. But many of the same issues that plagued him in Philadelphia—namely, ignoring his early reads and holding on to the ball too long while attempting to make a bigger play down the field, inviting pressure in the process—bubbled to the surface in Indianapolis. 

"I struggled down the stretch there," Wentz acknowledged. "The timing was poor. I didn't expect things to unfold the way they did. I thought things were in place there. Had awesome relationships with every single person in that building." 

Regardless, Irsay felt the Colts needed a change. If Ryan gets the team back to the postseason, the owner will be proved right. 

Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman believes the stakes couldn't be higher for Carson Wentz as he approaches his first season with the Washington Commanders. 

During an ESPN media call Tuesday, Aikman said the Commanders represent Wentz's "last opportunity ... to prove that he can be a franchise quarterback in the NFL."

"I'm hopeful that he's able to take advantage of that," the Dallas Cowboys legend said. "Looking forward to that matchup between those two teams. But this is kind of a defining season, I think, for Carson Wentz and what his future is going to look like."

After leading the NFL in interceptions (15) and sacks (50) in 2020, Wentz's performance improved in 2021. He threw for 3,563 yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Although his 209.6 yards per game were a career low, that was partially by design as Jonathan Taylor amassed 1,811 yards on the ground.

The Indianapolis Colts washing their hands of Wentz, however, showed how they viewed the 29-year-old.

"Wentz's play, inconsistent as it was to close the year, wasn't the deciding factor," The Athletic's Zak Keefer reported in March. "Colts brass simply didn't trust him to be the franchise quarterback moving forward, and they weren't willing to bring him back in 2022 and hope for better."

Aikman's assessment is probably one shared by many fans.

Wentz isn't getting any younger, and the further he gets from his 2017 Pro Bowl season, the harder it becomes to believe there remains some level of untapped potential.

Starting in 2023, his contract will provide little in the way of job security too. He'll count for $26.2 million against the salary cap in 2023 and $27.2 million in 2024, but that money would all become cap savings in the event the Commanders cut him. In effect, this could be a one-year experiment for Washington.

If Wentz finds himself looking for another team next offseason, simply getting a starting gig might become a challenge.

Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz is keeping a level head as he looks ahead to playing his first game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field during the 2022 NFL regular season.

Appearing on NFL Network (h/t NFL.com's Grant Gordon), Wentz said he is "trying not to get too excited for that one" by approaching it as just another game.

"I know that'll be a big game. A lot of emotions," he added. "I'm sure fans will eat that one up and it'll be fun—make for a good storyline. But at the end of the day, it's going to be just another ballgame. It's going to be a huge divisional game for us when that one comes."

The Commanders will play the Eagles in Philadelphia on Nov. 14.

Wentz was supposed to be Philadelphia's quarterback of the future when he was drafted in 2016. The team traded five picks to the Cleveland Browns to move up six spots and select him No. 2 overall.

Things started out great for Wentz in an Eagles uniform. He followed up a promising rookie campaign with an MVP-caliber second season in 2017. The North Dakota State product threw for 3,296 yards and 33 touchdowns in 13 starts, but a torn ACL ended his season in Week 14. 

Nick Foles finished out the 2017 season by leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory. Wentz played three more seasons in Philadelphia, but he was unable to recapture the promise of 2017. 

In the aftermath of Philadelphia's playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints in January 2019, Joseph Santoliquito of Philly Voice published a report in which he spoke to "more than a half dozen players" on the Eagles and sources close to the team.

Wentz was described in the report as being "selfish," "uncompromising," "egotistical" and as someone who fails "to take accountability."

A back injury sidelined Wentz for the final five games of the 2018 season. The Eagles went 4-1 with Foles at quarterback during that stretch to make the playoffs. They defeated the Chicago Bears in the Wild Card Round before losing to the Saints. 

Despite those reported issues, the Eagles signed Wentz to a four-year, $128 million contract extension before the start of the 2019 season.   

After a 3-8-1 start in 2020, Wentz was benched in favor of Jalen Hurts for the final four games. The Eagles traded the former Pro Bowler to the Indianapolis Colts in March 2021. 

The Colts lost their final two games of the regular season, including a 26-11 defeat against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 18, to miss the postseason. They dealt Wentz to the Commanders on March 16.

Playing in the NFC East once again gives Wentz two opportunities this season to face his former team. Washington will host the first matchup with the Eagles in Week 3 on Sept. 25.    

As Carson Wentz prepares to suit up for a third team in three years, he must understand this may be his last chance at a starting job in the NFL. Nonetheless, he could turn his career around after returning to the NFC East with the Washington Commanders.

A week before the official start of free agency, the Commanders acquired Wentz, a second-round pick and a seventh-round pick from the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a second-rounder and a third-rounder along with a conditional 2023 third-rounder. Washington also agreed to take on his full contract, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, which carries a $28.3 million cap hit in 2022.

Regardless of whether the Commanders believed in Wentz enough to take on his sizable deal and sacrifice draft capital or made the move out of desperation, they have the right head coach and the supporting cast to help him flourish in Washington.

Without a doubt, Wentz has the arm talent to make spectacular plays and breathe life into an offense. Though he can be inconsistent, the seventh-year signal-caller has a decent resume of passing production, with 140 touchdown passes and 57 interceptions with a 62.6 percent completion rate.

In 2021 with the Colts, Wentz threw for 3,563 yards, 27 touchdowns and just seven interceptions in a run-heavy offense that featured running back Jonathan Taylor, who rushed for a league-leading 1,811 yards and 18 touchdowns, and one consistent pass-catcher in wideout Michael Pittman Jr.

In the final two weeks of the 2021 campaign and with a playoff berth on the line, Wentz played poorly, completing 58.9 percent of his passes for 166.5 yards per game. Nonetheless, his tenure soured long before the Colts' late-season collapse, per The Athletic's Zak Keefer.

"As for the Colts, the issues with Wentz stretched back to before the season began, one source said, and over the course of the year, some grew frustrated at what they deemed a lack of leadership, a resistance to hard coaching and a reckless style of play, which had a role in several close losses this year," Keefer wrote.

Based on talent alone, Wentz has the qualities of a middling starter. He can help a team win games, but his boneheaded mistakes have led to costly turnovers and a low completion rate. The 29-year-old also seems to lack leadership traits, which reportedly shortened his time in Indianapolis and might have led to his departure from the Philadelphia Eagles.

According to Fox Sports' Jay Glazer, people within the Eagles' organization believed that the team's decision to select quarterback Jalen Hurts in the second round of the 2020 draft adversely impacted Wentz's confidence and performance, though he denied it two years ago.

Wentz's lack of desirable intangibles in a leadership position hurts his standing as a starting-caliber quarterback in the NFL. Luckily, head coach Ron Rivera's strong personality as the leader of the team should ease the burden on Wentz.

In his introductory press conference, Rivera talked about a culture shift in Washington with a no-nonsense attitude.

Rivera has highlighted accountability in the past, but he's willing to take the blame as long as players follow the program. This makes for a good environment for Wentz, who's justifiably taken criticism at every stop in his career.

Despite ongoing investigations into the franchise for allegations of sexual harassment and financial improprieties, Rivera can still change the culture within the locker room and put players in positions to succeed on the field. The well-respected head coach led Washington to a division title in his first year with the club and won seven games in back-to-back years despite instability at the quarterback position. The Commanders have started six different signal-callers over the past two seasons.

Even though starting quarterbacks require leadership, Rivera will have the most prominent voice in the room. Wentz just needs to follow the team's plan and play to the best of his ability. The Commanders have a supporting cast that can help him in that regard.

While Wentz had a statistically decent 2021 campaign with the Colts, he'll have more perimeter playmakers around him in Washington.

Despite the revolving door at quarterback, Terry McLaurin has emerged as a productive No. 1 wide receiver with 222 catches for 3,090 yards and 16 touchdowns through three seasons.

The Commanders selected Penn State wideout Jahan Dotson, who averaged 15.1 yards per catch at the collegiate level, with the No. 16 overall pick in the draft.

Bleacher Report NFL scout Nate Tice highlighted Dotson's quarterback-friendly qualities.

"Dotson is a very good athlete who is dangerous with the ball in his hands and has the long speed to take the top off defenses. He is also a very good route-runner, already showing an extended route tree and the polish to win on a variety of different routes at all three levels. He also has natural hands that allow him to maximize his size. He is consistently comfortable extending away from his body on throws both high and low. This trait also shows up when working back to the quarterback, which allows him to come down with throws in traffic."

The Commanders have an established veteran wideout and a rookie who can stretch the field with the ability to make big catches when the quarterback extends plays, which meshes well with Wentz's mobility in the pocket.

If wide receiver Curtis Samuel and tight end Logan Thomas stay healthy, they can become solid third and fourth targets. The former saw a steady increase in his receiving numbers in four years with the Carolina Panthers, and the latter recorded 72 receptions for 670 yards and six touchdowns with the Commanders in 2020. Both missed more than 10 games last year.

Out of the backfield, running backs Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic can catch the ball, combining for 201 receptions for 1,527 yards and seven touchdowns over the past two seasons with the team. Wentz doesn't have to force big plays downfield with a pair of reliable pass-catching backs who can move the chains on short passes.

Wentz doesn't even have to lead a top-10 scoring offense with a defense that ranked fourth in points and second in yards allowed just two years ago. With an aggressive pass-rushing front that features Chase Young, Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen and Montez Sweat up front, Washington's defensive unit could bounce back after ranking 25th and 22nd in points and yards, respectively, for the 2021 season. Of course, Young has to recover from a torn ACL and perform at a level close to his 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year form.

If the Commanders field a decent defense in the upcoming campaign, Wentz should be able to lead them to several wins. He has multiple weapons in the passing game and an offensive line that will return three players who started in at least eight contests during the previous term. Furthermore, the five-man unit welcomes a solid pass-blocking guard in Andrew Norwell, who allowed three sacks through 1,078 snaps last year, per Pro Football Focus.

With Rivera, a solid supporting cast on offense, and a defense not far removed from a dominant season, Wentz's career can take a positive turn in Washington.

Player contracts details are provided by Over the Cap.

Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.

The fantasy landscape has shifted with another quarterback on the move, though just how much depends on how much you like Carson Wentz. 

The Washington Commanders found their 2022 starter by agreeing to acquire Wentz from the Indianapolis Colts. 

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Colts will receive a 2022 third-round draft pick and a conditional 2023 third-round draft pick that can bump up to a second with incentives. 

Even though Wentz isn't particularly thrilling in real life, especially based on how he ended last season, he has been a reliable fantasy performer throughout his career.

The 29-year-old finished 14th among all quarterbacks in points in PPR leagues in 2021 (265.02). He was in the same area as Ryan Tannehill (282.36) and Derek Carr (270.96). 

By comparison, Taylor Heinicke, who started 15 games for Washington last season, was 19th in fantasy points by a quarterback (236.86). 

The biggest beneficiary of Wentz taking over at quarterback is Terry McLaurin. The Ohio State alum has proved to be quarterback-proof through his first three seasons. He has averaged 119 targets, 74 receptions, 1,030 yards and five touchdowns from 2019 to '21. 

As flawed as Wentz is, he's an upgrade over Heinicke, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Garrett Gilbert, Alex Smith, Dwayne Haskins, Kyle Allen, Case Keenum and Colt McCoy. Those are the eight quarterbacks who have started at least one game for Washington since McLaurin's rookie season. 

McLaurin had 77 catches, 1,053 yards and five touchdowns last season. He has finished in the top 25 among wide receivers in fantasy points in each of the past three years. 

Wentz threw for 3,563 yards and 27 touchdowns for the Colts last season. No Washington quarterback has hit those marks since Kirk Cousins in 2017 (4,093 passing yards, 27 touchdowns). 

Antonio Gibson's value doesn't figure to change much. He has scored 21 touchdowns combined in the past two seasons and set a career high with 1,331 yards on 300 touches in 2021. 

There doesn't figure to be much of a difference in passing attempts between Washington's quarterbacks and Wentz. The Commanders attempted 550 passes in 2021; Wentz threw the ball 516 times in 17 starts for the Colts. 

Gibson ranked in the top five for Washington in targets (52), receptions (42) and receiving yards (294). Those numbers are in line with what Jonathan Taylor did as a receiver for the Colts (51 targets, 40 receptions, 360 yards). 

Unless the Commanders find a reliable No. 2 pass-catching option on the outside with McLaurin, Gibson is going to see a healthy number of targets.

Curtis Samuel might become that guy, but he has a lot to prove in 2022 after being limited to five games due to groin and hamstring injuries. 

With Ricky Seals-Jones set to become a free agent, Logan Thomas is poised to become the Commanders' No. 1 tight end. He appeared in only six games in 2021 due to knee and hamstring issues. 

Thomas showed promise two years ago with 110 targets, 72 receptions, 670 yards and six touchdowns. He was the No. 7 tight end in fantasy during the 2020 season. 

It's hard to bet on Thomas coming close to those numbers again. He's going to turn 31 on July 1 and has never eclipsed 200 receiving yards in any other season. 

The Indianapolis Colts are set to have a new man under center in 2022 after trading quarterback Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders on Wednesday. But Indianapolis might already have Wentz's replacement on its roster.

According to Zak Keefer of The Athletic, the Colts could be planning to give backup quarterback Sam Ehlinger a shot at becoming the team's starter.

"The Colts will certainly look to upgrade, via free agency or the draft, limited as their options might be. But, according to one source, don’t rule out Ehlinger getting a chance at the starting job," Keefer wrote.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Colts acquired Washington's third-round draft picks in 2022 and 2023, while next year's can become a second-rounder if Wentz plays a certain number of snaps this upcoming season. The teams also exchanged their second-round picks in this year's draft, allowing Indianapolis to move up from No. 47 to No. 42.

The Colts still don't have a first-round draft pick because of their trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for Wentz in 2021, so they won't have a chance at the top quarterbacks. While this year's class isn't considered to be very deep at the position, Indianapolis could find a prospect worth taking a chance on.

The only other quarterback on the Colts roster besides Ehlinger is James Morgan. Neither of them has ever attempted a pass in an NFL game.

Drafted out of Texas in the sixth round last year, Ehlinger is signed to a four-year rookie deal. The 23-year-old had a stint on injured reserve after suffering an ACL sprain in the preseason. He was activated Oct. 19 and placed in the backup role when Indianapolis waived quarterback Jacob Eason that same day.

A four-year starter for the Longhorns, Ehlinger threw for 11,436 yards, 94 touchdowns and 27 interceptions in 46 games.