On Monday, the Commanders unceremoniously brought their Carson Wentz era to an end by releasing the quarterback.
With head coach Ron Rivera making it clear in recent weeks that he plans to have Sam Howell begin the offseason program as the team’s QB1, it seemed like only a matter of time before Wentz was cut.
During his Combine press conference on Tuesday, Rivera was asked about the decision to make the move.
“Well, you know, there’s a lot of things that we have to look at as far as our team is concerned. Everything from the cap to the position itself, and the situational circumstances we went through last year,” Rivera said. “He’s a heck of a young man. He’s a solid man and I want to wish him the best.
“I really do appreciate everything he did for us, and the opportunity that he had coming here. He did the best he could, and we really appreciate that as well.”
In eight games with seven starts, Wentz completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 1,755 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. In his final start in Week 17, he finished 16-of-28 passing for 143 yards with three picks.