By Jordan Long
The Washington Commanders are looking to improve on their 8-8-1 record. They will have a new quarterback under center. The two quarterbacks who saw playing time are not returning.
Carson Wentz went 2-5 for Washington. He passed for 1,755 yards and 11 touchdowns. Wentz was picked off 9 times. Washington decided it was best to cut him on Monday. This saved Washington $26.176 million in salary cap space.
The other quarterback who saw time last year was Tyler Heinicke. His record ended at 5-3-1. Heinicke threw for 1,859 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also tossed 6 interceptions. It is a surprise Washington didn’t try to keep him since he played well. He may come back in free agency.
Even so, Washington has two quarterbacks on the roster, Sam Howell and Jake Fromm. Howell is the number one quarterback for now but isn’t the starter yet. According to profootballtalk.nbcsports.com, Head Coach Ron Rivera said, “He’s not our starter. He’s coming in as the QB1. He’ll get a great opportunity to be our starter. But we do want to find a veteran quarterback. We have Taylor Heinicke that’s a free agent. We’ve got to work through that as well. And we’ll see what happens from there.”
Howell played in 1 game last season, winning that game. He was 11 of 19 passing for 169 yards. Howell tossed 1 touchdown with 1 interception not enough to tell Washington he should be the starter.
On the other hand, Fromm started 2 games for Washington in the 2021 season. Fromm lost both games. He ended 27 of 60 passing for 210 yards, 1 touchdown, with 3 picks. That doesn’t give the confidence to say he could be the starter either.
Going into free agency, Washington has two options. The first is to look at the free agent market and sign a veteran. This would give competition to both Howell and Fromm. Plus, a veteran might beat both of them out. Otherwise, they could go into the draft. They own the 16th overall pick. Either way, Washington needs another quarterback in the room. Two will not be enough for the year.
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