According to an AP source, veteran quarterback Carson Wentz has signed with the Los Angeles Rams.
Wentz needed to pass a physical before the agreement could be made official, so the person only talked to the AP on Tuesday under the condition of anonymity. This is Los Angeles’s bye week.
After starting seven games for the Washington Commanders in the previous season, Wentz has not played in the NFL this year. The seven-year NFL veteran started all 17 games for Indianapolis in 2021 after starting for Philadelphia for five years.
The Rams (3-6) are in need of a backup quarterback to replace Matthew Stafford, who was sidelined by a sprained thumb ligament during Los Angeles’ miserable defeat to wet Green Bay last weekend.The Rams are 8-18 since winning the Super Bowl and are currently on a three-game losing streak.
Before Stafford was down, the Rams only other quarterback on the field was backup Brett Rypien, who labored to a 13-of-28 showing with two fumbles and an interception in Los Angeles’ 20-3 defeat.
In order to make room for Rypien on the practice squad again, the Rams had to waive him on Tuesday.
While Sean McVay, the coach of the Rams, expressed optimism on Monday that Stafford will play in their upcoming game against Seattle on November 19, the Rams’ decision to sign Wentz suggests they want insurance in case Stafford’s injury worsens or he suffers another one.
With only Stafford and Rypien as quarterbacks on the roster, Los Angeles tried to survive the season. Stetson Bennett was selected by the Rams in the fourth round of the draft last spring, but for unknown reasons, the two-time national champion from Georgia has not been a member of the team since the preseason.
Due to a strained spinal cord, Stafford missed the second part of the previous season, and the Rams had trouble using backups John Wolford and Bryce Perkins. After that, Los Angeles signed Baker Mayfield, who two days after signing, guided the Rams to a victory over Las Vegas and finally revived his career to earn a new contract to start for Tampa Bay this season.
After carefully assessing both quarterbacks, Jared Goff was selected by Rams general manager Les Snead ahead of Wentz as the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. Following his successful season leading the Rams to the Super Bowl, Goff was moved to Detroit as part of the deal for Stafford, who had won the Super Bowl in his first year with Los Angeles.
Due to a strained spinal cord, Stafford missed the second part of the previous season, and the Rams had trouble using backups John Wolford and Bryce Perkins. After that, Los Angeles signed Baker Mayfield, who two days after signing, guided the Rams to a victory over Las Vegas and finally revived his career to earn a new contract to start for Tampa Bay this season.
After carefully assessing both quarterbacks, Jared Goff was selected by Rams general manager Les Snead ahead of Wentz as the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. Following his successful season leading the Rams to the Super Bowl, Goff was moved to Detroit as part of the deal for Stafford, who had won the Super Bowl in his first year with Los Angeles.
In 2021, Wentz continued to play well for the Colts, throwing for 3,563 yards, 27 touchdowns, and only seven interceptions. Washington subsequently acquired Wentz in March 2022 for a second-round pick and a third-round pick, but Wentz was unreliable even before he damaged his ring finger in October and lost the Commanders’ starting spot to Taylor Heinecke.
With two years remaining on his deal, Washington released the 30-year-old Wentz in February of last year, and he remained unsigned during the offseason.
On Tuesday, the Rams also released quarterback Dresser Winn from the practice squad and waived defensive tackle Cory Durden and running back Myles Gaskin. Following Stafford’s injury last week, the team re-signed Winn.
