A month from now, the 2023 NFL season will begin when the Detroit Lions take on the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Of course, preparation for the new season is already underway for all 32 teams.
Speaking of preparation. One player preparing for his next opportunity is former Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts, and Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz. Well, let’s just say Wentz is training as if he was still a member of the three franchises.
I don’t think we have ever seen a bizarre sequence in which a player trains wearing gear from all the teams he has played for, and neither has the NFL world.
Free-agent QB Carson Wentz shared these pictures of him training in a #Commanders jersey, #Eagles helmet, and #Colts shorts, as he's trying to get back to the league.
He captioned the post: "Back in the lab.. just looks a little different so far this year 🙃 #alternateuniforms… pic.twitter.com/ZjQJ5LfGCA
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 6, 2023
Carson Wentz clearly doesn’t move on from his exes well pic.twitter.com/SQnsSdZssy
— Yards Per Fantasy (@YardsPer) August 6, 2023
“Carson Wentz clearly doesn’t move on from his exes well.”
He looks like one of those "building the worst possible QB" memes but it's just all Carson Wentz pic.twitter.com/HNPOiRvsRa
— daltcart (@daltercarton) August 6, 2023
“He looks like one of those ‘building the worst possible QB’ memes but it’s just all Carson Wentz.”
Carson Wentz has reached peak form. pic.twitter.com/56IPxMPnmY
— Sheriff Joe Bags (@SheriffJoeBags) August 6, 2023
“Carson Wentz has reached peak form.”
Carson Wentz debuted the new Philadelphia Football Colts uniform pic.twitter.com/5ZzF8wQ6d5
— Barstool Sportsbook (@BSSportsbook) August 6, 2023
“Carson Wentz debuted the new Philadelphia Football Colts uniform.”
Carson Wentz’s Journey
As we all know, Wentz was the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Philadelphia selected the former FCS national champion out of North Dakota State, and Wentz would quarterback the Eagles for five seasons (2016-2020).
Wentz’s time with the Eagles was filled with highs and lows. In 2017, he was playing at an MVP level until suffering a torn ACL, which forced him to watch backup quarterback Nick Foles lead Philadelphia to their first-ever Super Bowl title.
Injuries highlighted Wentz’s time in Philly, and he was eventually traded to the Indianapolis Colts in 2021. His production with Indy improved, but Wentz’s lone season will forever be remembered by the embarrassing Week 17 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars that eliminated the Colts from postseason contention.
More recently, the former first-round pick spent the 2022 season playing for the Washington Commanders in the nation’s capital — his third team in seven years. Wentz started the first five games of the season until fracturing his ring finger in Week 6 in a victory over the Chicago Bears.
Now with the 2023 season right around the corner, Wentz remains unsigned and is hoping to catch the right situation. Every year we see notable veteran free agents waiting for the right opportunity to join a team just before or during the season in the wake of any injuries.
Still, it’s hard to envision Wentz not getting a chance to be a backup somewhere. The 30-year-old quarterback did mention he was open to a backup role which was reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler back in May.
“I was told he’s been working out in L.A., plans to play this year,” Fowler explained. “He’s had interest from some teams. He’s open to various roles; could be as a starter, could be as a backup, but he just wants to play this coming year.”
Currently, Wentz is the top available free agent quarterback on the open market. After this preseason, a few teams may realize they’re not thrilled about their backup QB situation, which could lead to Wentz getting an opportunity.
In the meantime, the NFL world will enjoy discussing his recent Instagram post. At least he is taking the right steps and preparing for that phone call.