Commanders' Carson Wentz Placed on IR with Finger Injury; Out vs. Colts, Eagles

The Washington Commanders announced that quarterback Carson Wentz has been placed on injured reserve because of a fractured finger suffered on Oct. 13 during a 12-7 road win over the Chicago Bears. He will be out for at least the next four games.

Per Commanders senior writer Zach Selby, Wentz underwent successful surgery Saturday in Los Angeles.

Wentz will miss Sunday's home matchup with the Green Bay Packers, an Oct. 30 road game at the Indianapolis Colts, a Nov. 6 home game with the Minnesota Vikings and a Nov. 14 Monday Night Football showdown at the Philadelphia Eagles. He's eligible to return on Nov. 20 at the Houston Texans.

That means Wentz will sit against his two previous teams, the Eagles and Colts. He played for Philadelphia from 2016 to 2020 before starting for Indianapolis last year.

Taylor Heinicke, who served as the team's starting quarterback last season, will take over for Wentz. The former Old Dominion star completed 65.0 percent of his passes for 20 touchdowns (15 interceptions) in 2021.

Through six games, Wentz completed 62.1 percent of his passes for 10 touchdowns (six interceptions) and 1,489 yards. He's also been sacked an NFL-high 23 times.

The 2017 Pro Bowler arrived in Washington after the Commanders traded for him in March. The deal essentially amounts to a one-year trial in Washington as the Commanders can release Wentz after this season without any dead-cap penalty, per Over the Cap.

The 2-4 Commanders have gotten off to a rough start that includes a four-game losing streak, but a strong defensive performance got them back in the win column. They'll look to stay there Sunday against the Packers at 1 p.m. ET.