Getty Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Carson Wentz.
Many players had something to prove when the Kansas City Chiefs took to the field for their first set of organized team activities (OTAs), which began on May 20. But tight end Travis Kelce gave one particular player a shoutout for his efforts on the practice field.
“Carson (Wentz), he’s absolutely killing it, man,” Kelce said on the May 24 episode of the “New Height” podcast. “He’s dicing them up every time he goes out there. He’s throwing bombs and throwing lasers, man. He’s got all the attributes and you can see it when he’s out there on the practice field, for sure.”
Kelce also explained that he and QB Patrick Mahomes have gotten to spend some personal time with Wentz on the golf course and likes the mindset Wentz brings to the two-time defending Super Bowl champions.
“Me and Carson (Wentz), Pat (Mahomes) all went out and played some golf and just got to get to know him a little bit more,” Travis told his brother, Jason Kelce on the podcast. “And he’s gonna be a great addition to the locker room, to this team. He’s a very motivated, very locked-in competitor. And you can tell by the way he carries himself that he’s gonna be ready if his number is ever called.”
Carson Wentz: From MVP Candidate to Backup QB
Though Wentz hasn’t been in the league as long as Chad Henne and Blaine Gabbert had been when they were with the Chiefs, Wentz still brings quite a bit of experience with him to Kansas City.
Wentz, 31, entered the league as a first-round pick — second overall — of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016. After a shaky rookie season, Wentz was thrust into the MVP conversation during the 2017 season when he registered 3,296 passing yards and 33 touchdowns in 13 regular season games under then-head coach Doug Pederson.
Unfortunately, Wentz’s MVP campaign came to a screeching halt when he suffered a torn ACL late in the regular season. Backup quarterback Nick Foles then led the Eagles to the team’s first-ever Super Bowl victory later that season.
When Wentz returned from injury, he managed to record 48 touchdowns and just 14 interceptions over the next two seasons. But his production took a big hit during the 2020 season when he had 16 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, and completed just 57.4% of his pass attempts.
His lackluster 2020 season caused him to be traded to the Indianapolis Colts in March 2021. But even the Colts, who were desperate for a starting QB, couldn’t get the best out of Wentz. Despite having an admirable box score (27 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, 62.4% completion percentage), the eye test showed that Wentz continued to make many mental errors. As a result, Indy traded Wentz to the Washington Commanders in March 2022.
Wentz started the 2022 season as a backup to Sam Howell in Washington, but even when he got an opportunity to start later in the season he showed much of the same that we saw from him in the two prior seasons.
Because it had been several years since Wentz proved to be a capable starting QB, Wentz maintained a reserve role with the Los Angeles Rams during the 2023 season and then signed as a backup QB for Kansas City this offseason.
Carson Wentz Can Help Improve Patrick Mahomes’s Mental Game
Though it’s been a long time since Wentz has had a high level of success in the NFL, he does bring a lot of playing experience to Kansas City’s QB room. That should prove to be helpful to Mahomes as he continues to improve his knowledge of the game.
Wentz joins Mahomes in a Kansas City QB room that also currently includes Chris Oladokun, and Ian Book.