When Carson Wentz was out the door at his first two NFL stops, he faced criticism that was along the same lines.
Last month, Zak Keefer of TheAthletic.com reported that some in the Colts organization concluded that Wentz showed, “a lack of leadership, resistance to hard coaching, and a reckless style of play.”
While it’s easy to be optimistic in the spring when there is no weekly opponent, Commanders head coach Ron Rivera had some positive remarks when asked about how Wentz has been in the building since the start of the offseason program.
“It’s been kind of cool watching him interact with his teammates, interact with the coaches as well,” Rivera said at his pre-draft press conference this week. “He’s got a different skill set. And it’s interesting to watch guys’ reaction. He’s reached out to a lot of them about throwing extra, stuff like that. And those guys have all responded in a positive fashion. So it’s kind of created that vibe that you’re looking for, you’re hoping for. And you feel good about it, you really do. And there is some optimism, obviously, just walking around the building.”
Rivera also noted that with Wentz in tow, the offense is likely to “grow a little bit more because Carson does have a couple more tools that Taylor [Heinicke] doesn’t have.
“Taylor’s a very efficient quarterback that handles things very well and brings some excitement to it. You look at what Carson can do in terms of some of the other throws that he makes that are pretty dynamic, it does add a whole new element to what we want to do offensively.”
Though Wentz completed 62 percent of his passes for 3,563 yards with 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions, the Colts were clearly determined to move on from the QB this offseason. Time will tell if the vibes Wentz is producing now will translate to wins for the Commanders in the fall