Carson Wentz blended together nostalgia and hope during an offseason workout as the quarterback attempts to find another team ahead of the 2023 season.
The 30-year-old posted a series of photos on Instagram that depicted Wentz making a throw in an Eagles helmet, a Commanders jersey and Colts shorts — with the caption, “Back in the lab … just looks a little different so far this year.”
Those were the three organizations that Wentz has played for throughout his strange journey from being the No. 2 overall pick in 2016 to currently being unsigned as preseason games begin, which made the “#trainingcamp2023” part of his comment a bit ironic.
In June, ESPN reported that Wentz was studying film and throwing with ex-NFL coach Jon Gruden in Tampa, Fla., with the intention of finding the right destination for the 2023 campaign.
ESPN also reported in May that Wentz was working out in Los Angeles and would be open to a backup role, too, if that was the only opening that emerged.
But neither option has materialized yet.
Wentz started seven games for the Commanders last year, throwing 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions, but he was benched for backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke — and, for the final week of 2022, Sam Howell — while also suffering a broken finger.
Washington, which acquired him from the Colts in March 2022, released Wentz in February, which marked his first taste of free agency in a market where Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo and others attracted most of the attention.
But earlier in his career, Wentz appeared to be the next franchise quarterback with the Eagles.
In 2017, Wentz started the season 11-2, but as the Eagles made their Super Bowl run, he watched from the sidelines — recovering from a knee injury — as Nick Foles guided the offense and won Super Bowl MVP.
Wentz started the majority of the Eagles’ games for the next three seasons, though never topping nine wins in a single campaign, and in February 2021, they dealt him to the Colts.
But starting 17 games in 2021 didn’t lead to additional stability.
It didn’t happen after 2022 with the Commanders, either.
At this point, though, with teams’ training camp rosters already expanded, it appears unlikely that Wentz’s dilemma will have an imminent solution.
