One of the fun parts about this job is lurking about Cowboys’ Twitter. Every so often something bubbles up to the surface that makes you go: Whoa!
Sometimes it a good, Whoa! More often than not it isn’t. I’m still not sure which one the following is.
Should the Dallas Cowboys sign free agent quarterback Carson Wentz to back up Dak Prescott?
I’ll assume you’ve just said “Whoa!” Now, what to make of the idea.
I’ll preface this by confessing that my favorite college football team is North Dakota State. Wentz, of course, played there.
He also led the Bison to back-to-back FCS Championships in his junior and senior years. It was part of a five-straight title run for the team while he was a part of the program.
High Draft Pick
He and Jared Goff were projected to go 1-2 in the 2016 NFL Draft which they did. I was hoping the Cowboys would trade up and grab Wentz.
When that didn’t happen, I was hoping the Rams would take Wentz because at that time I was living in Thousand Oaks, where the Rams practice.
That didn’t happen either.
The football gods hate me it seems.
Goff went to the Rams. Wentz went to the Eagles. The Cowboys drafted Prescott in the 4th Round instead and here we are today.
The Rams won a Super Bowl after trading Goff. Prescott hasn’t gotten the Cowboys past the Divisional round of the playoffs.
But Wentz, in his second year, led the Eagles to an 11-2 start in 2017. An injury ended his season and he watched his team go on to win a title.
No, he didn’t lead them to the win on the field. But he has something Prescott doesn’t: A Super Bowl ring on his finger.
It makes one wonder what might have been if the Rams had gone with Wentz instead of Goff. They might have won more than one title and Matthew Stafford would have retired as a Lion.
Post Super Bowl Years
Wentz clearly hasn’t been the same quarterback since the injury.
In the five seasons since, he’s only had two winning seasons. He hasn’t won more than nine games in any of those years.
His record over that span is 28-34-1. He’s thrown 102 touchdowns against 45 interceptions.
He’s also taken a beating, getting sacked 176 times in 64 games. Many of those because he had nowhere to throw the ball.
That hasn’t helped him stay healthy.
In 2022 with the Commanders, Wentz finally got to start again late in the season. But he went 2-5 in his seven starts and threw 11 touchdowns against nine interceptions.
The Commanders let him go back in March.
Wentz Waits In The Wings
Wentz has been working out in Los Angeles and there could be some teams in urgent need of a quarterback. Especially one located a few hours north in Las Vegas.
The big question is: Does Wentz have anything left in the tank? He did have a good year in Indianapolis in 2021. He went 9-8 with 27 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.
But in a must-win season finale against a two-win Jaguars team, Wentz had an uninspired game.
The loss denied the Colts a playoff spot. Wentz was gone shortly thereafter.
Would any team that signs him get the 2017, or even 2021, version of Wentz? Or would they get the 2022 version that would make Quincy Carter look like a Hall of Famer?
That’s the big question mark hanging over Wentz.
Which leaves the Cowboys to wonder if Wentz could be a difference making backup. Or is Cooper Rush still the better option?
Frankly, I’d love to see Wentz in a Cowboys uniform. His numbers and playing style are similar to Prescott’s.
He’d be able to fit into the Cowboys’ system easily enough. But equally as frank, I think Wentz’s best days are behind him. I hope I’m wrong though.