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A former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback could be the best possible replacement for the recently injured Kirk Cousins.
As the Minnesota Vikings enter their Week 9 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, they have a problem on their hands — they’re lacking a true starting quarterback. Cousins will be out for the remainder of the season after suffering an Achilles injury in the team’s Week 8 win over the Green Bay Packers. The current projected starter is fifth-round rookie quarterback Jaren Hall.
With the Vikings lacking a true veteran quarterback on the 53-man roster — Hall is the only healthy quarterback on the roster — Minnesota needs to make a play for one. As suggested by CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin, former Philadelphia first-round pick Carson Wentz could be an ideal candidate for the Vikings as they look to make a playoff run at a record of 4-4.
“The former Eagles star has been eyeing another opportunity since his release from Washington, to no avail,” writes Benjamin. “And his tendency to play hero ball runs counter to Cousins’ more controlled approach. But Wentz has a Midwest background, hailing from NDSU, and probably offers the most big-play juice of any veteran still on the market. He reportedly drew a sniff from the Chiefs in the summer.”
Carson Wentz Was Once Considered Third-Best Player in NFL
Wentz is obviously best known for his tenure with the Eagles. The 30-year-old quarterback spent five seasons in Philadelphia (2016-2020), posting his best season (2017) during the year the Eagles won the Super Bowl. He not only posted a Pro Bowl and Second Team All-Pro campaign that season, he posted 33 touchdowns in just 13 games.
The former No. 2 overall pick was so good that year that he was voted the third-best player in the NFL following the conclusion of the season.
However, he suffered a torn ACL prior to the end of the 2017 season and the Eagles won the Super Bowl without him in the lineup.
Although Wentz would start the next three seasons in Philadelphia — he was eventually replaced by Jalen Hurts before the end of the 2020 season — he never regained the form that made him an MVP candidate during the 2017 season. Wentz led the Eagles to back-to-back playoff appearances during the 2018 and 2019 seasons, but he missed the 2018 playoff game due to injury and he threw just four pass attempts in the 2019 game before exiting that game due to injury.
Why Vikings Signing Carson Wentz Makes Sense
In the ensuing seasons since, Wentz has become a journeyman quarterback, starting for the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Commanders over the past two seasons. However, the Colts traded Wentz to the Commanders following the conclusion of the 2021 season and the Washington released him after the 2022 season.
While Wentz has clearly had his issues in recent years, he’s the best quarterback on the free agency market. Furthermore, while Minnesota would have to give up draft capital or a player for a backup quarterback from another team via trade, they could likely sign Wentz to a bargain deal.
The Vikings are currently on a four-game winning streak. And while a lot of that had to do with Cousins’ strong play to begin the season, they could realistically clinch one of the last Wild Card playoff spots in a wide-open NFC. They just need a competent and experienced quarterback to do the job for the rest of the season.
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