Carson Wentz with Kevin O’Connell just might save Wentz’ NFL career. Wentz was named the new starter in Minnesota after J.J. McCarthy was hit once again with the injury bug, this time an ankle sprain that could keep him out for up to a month. The Vikings put all their faith in McCarthy and once again, an injury is stalling his potential.
Just like his injury last season opened the door for Sam Darnold to showcase he’s still talented, it now gives Wentz a shot at redemption. With what could be his last change to prove he can be a starter in the NFL, it will also prove that several other teams with quarterback issues should have taken a gamble on him.
The Cincinnati Bengals more recently are desperate in their quarterback replacement options so he’ll certainly have a chance to prove them wrong and even one of his former teams in the Washington Commanders, who are turning to Marcus Mariota in light of Jayden Daniels’ knee injury. Here’s who else could regret in hindsight at not jumping at Wentz.
Miami Dolphins
This feels like an option the Dolphins are going to wish they made this offseason. Miami has a lot of questions with Tua Tagovailoa. Not that Wentz would solve those problems, but if Tagovailoa continues to struggle, they’d probably be desperate to turn to just about anyone to get some answers.
Wentz is with a system in Minnesota that’s set up for him to thrive. This will be his chance to prove he’s good, even with a good supporting cast. If he does keep the Vikings afloat or even forces the Vikings to make a choice between him and McCarthy, I’m sure the Dolphins will wish they were the ones to give him a chance.
New York Jets
The New York Jets were hit with an injury to their quarterback as well with Justin Fields out with a concussion, which he suffered against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2. There’s not much urgency yet, but Aaron Glenn is soon going to feel the heat if the Jets don’t start winning. Being winless through the first three games isn’t an ideal way to start and you’d have to think they could have leaned on Wentz veteran experience to keep them afloat.
Wentz isn’t the best available option, but it feels like he’ll turn things around during McCarthy’s absence and if he does, Glenn will wonder what could have been if Fields either has more injury problems or doesn’t live up to pressure.
Cincinnati Bengals
Like nearly every team on this list, the Cincinnati Bengals are without their starting quarterback. The only difference it, the Bengals are preparing to not have Burrow the rest of the season. If Wentz looks even half of what he did back in the 2017 season before got hurt, the Bengals would regret not having him.
They’ll get the first shot at seeing what Wentz will look like with the Vikings and if he does torch the Bengals defense, it will probably sting worse than if Jake Browning doesn’t work out. The perfect replacement showed them what they could have had and it would ultimately set up a long season for the Bengals.
Washington Commanders
The Commanders already went through the Carson Wentz experience and it set them up to be able to draft Jayden Daniels. While they probably have no interest in running it back with him, he could have been a serviceable backup for when they need him. If he catches fire in Minnesota, the Commanders might wonder what if.
If Daniels misses extended time beyond Week 3, they could regret not bringing Wentz back as Daniels’ backup. I’m sure it would take more than one good game for the Commanders to consider bringing him back, but it could make them wonder.
San Francisco 49ers
The only other team that might benefit from Wentz immediately, if not the Vikings, would be San Francisco. Kyle Shanahan is one of the few quarterback whisperers in the NFL with O’Connell being another. Brock Purdy is once again battling injuries and who knows how long the Mac Jones experience lasts.
Wentz could catch fire and at the same time, Jones could start to fizzle out before Purdy’s ready to return. Depending on how well Jones continues to play, the 49ers can’t keep wasting away seasons waiting on Purdy to be healthy. If Darnold was able to make the most of his time and Wentz does too, it would haunt Shanahan for years.