Commanders' Carson Wentz Has Surgery on Finger Injury; Reportedly Will Miss 4 Weeks

Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz underwent successful surgery on his finger injury Monday and is expected to make a full recovery.

While the team did not announce a timeline, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported Wentz's doctor provided a four-week recovery timetable:

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo previously reported Wentz was expected to miss the next four to six weeks with the injury.

As a result of the potential recovery timeline, the Commanders reportedly are considering placing Wentz on injured reserve, which would require him to miss at least four games.

Wentz's injury opens the door for Taylor Heinicke to run the offense, and the change may not be much of a downgrade to the offense.

Heinicke was serviceable as the starter in 2021, throwing for 3,419 yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He ranked 23rd in QBR (45.8), per ESPN.com, which is better than Wentz's current position (27th; 34.1).

The MMQB's Albert Breer speculated Heinicke's ascension "will open up the playbook for the offensive staff" because of the continuity he carries over from last year.

Amid a 2-4 start, Washington could decide to put its short-term fortunes aside to give fifth-round draft pick Sam Howell an extended look instead. Qualifying for the postseason is already going to be an uphill climb, so why not see whether Howell is worthy of QB1 status.

Regardless of whether it's Heinicke or Howell under center, it's not a stretch to say fans might have seen the last of Wentz as the Commanders' starter.

Washington can easily move on from him in the offseason since none of his $26.2 million salary hit will count against the cap if he's cut. The franchise has a vested interest in limiting his usage before then as well.

If things are going well with Heinicke, then head coach Ron Rivera can point to that as a reason to keep Wentz on the bench once he's healthy enough to play again. If the season continues going off the rails, then Rivera could plausibly argue there's no harm in playing Howell and looking toward next year.

Either way, Wentz's injury may have hastened the inevitable.