In the wake of Matthew Stafford’s extended hiatus due to a lingering thumb injury, the Los Angeles Rams have officially agreed to contract terms with NFL journeyman Carson Wentz. While Wentz’s career has been an emotional rollercoaster from the very start, the Rams are hoping that he has just enough gas left in the tank to keep them afloat until Stafford’s impending return.
In the midst of a 43-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8, Stafford suffered a sprained UCL in his right thumb. He has not logged any on-field work since the injury. Rams head coach, Sean McVay, noted that the signal-caller “wasn’t anywhere to where we thought he would be able to go for us.”
However, he also reported that Stafford is “making good progress” and has said that Stafford could even return after L.A.’s Week 10 bye, though the validity of that last assertion is worth questioning considering they just went out and purchased a better backup plan.
As a result of Stafford’s injury, the Rams opted to give career backup Brett Rypien the start against the Green Bay Packers in Week 9. Rypien finished with 13 completions, 130 passing yards, and an interception en route to a 20-3 loss where the offense looked positively anemic. Between Stafford needing a bit more time to recover, the Rams having a bye in Week 10, and Rypien’s performance causing the team to slip to a 3-6 record, the conditions were perfect for Los Angeles to seek out an alternative backup QB.
With the stars having aligned perfectly, Carson Wentz has now been given what could potentially be his last opportunity to solidify a role for himself in the NFL. After being selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the number two overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft, Wentz would have a mild start to his career.
Finishing with 3,782 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and a 7-9 regular season record in his rookie year, analysts and fans alike wondered if the Eagles had drafted the wrong guy. However, Wentz would temporarily silence the naysayers. In 2017, Wentz turned things around… big time.
By the time the Eagles were heading into their Week 13 matchup against the Rams with an 11-2 record, Wentz was the odds-on favorite to win the MVP that year. Unfortunately, Wentz tore his ACL while attempting to score a rushing touchdown in the third quarter. Nick Foles stepped in and led the Eagles on one of the most magical Super Bowl runs we’ve ever seen, which had to be enormously bittersweet for Wentz. Ever since that tragic moment in Week 13, Wentz has become arguably the most volatile quarterback in the modern era of the NFL.
In 2019, Wentz would remain relatively healthy. Starting all 16 games for the Eagles, he led them to a record of 9-7 while throwing for 4,039 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. He set career highs in both passing yards and completion percentage and led the Eagles to the playoffs, but in a cruel twist of fate, he was knocked out of his postseason debut with a head injury in the first quarter, and Philly lost the game in his absence.
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