Breaking down Carson Wentz in Commanders preseason opener
Taking a closer look at how QB Carson Wentz played in the Commanders preseason opener
As the Washington Commanders opened their preseason against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday, all eyes were on quarterback Carson Wentz after his trade in the offseason. Wentz didn’t necessarily blow anyone away with his performance, completing 10 of 13 passes for 74 yards, but he did look to have good control of the offense and had confidence in his decision making. Let’s take a closer look at his performance.
This is the third play of the game as Washington faces third and short. Receiver Curtis Samuel aligns stacked behind tight end Armani Rogers to the right, but Wentz then sends him in motion to the left side. The cornerback follows Samuel across the formation while the safety steps up to cover the tight end. This lets Wentz know he’s most likely facing man coverage. Wentz could easily look to Samuel or Terry McLaurin in the slot on their crossing routes, but knowing he has man coverage, Wentz works to the tight end isolated to the right, despite it being rookie tight end Armani Rogers, who played quarterback in college.
This is encouraging because it shows Wentz didn’t just lock in on McLaurin as other quarterbacks might have on third down. He used the information gained from the pre-snap motion to identify the best matchup and took the freedom to take his shot, even in a third and short situation. The mental process is a good one, which is a good sign, but the throw isn’t a bad one either. Rogers doesn’t run by the safety and drifts a little bit too far towards the sideline, so the window was tight, but Wentz still gave him an opportunity to make a play and he couldn’t quite come up with the ball.
On the following drive, Wentz faced a very similar situation.
This time it’s third and two. Scott Turner calls a variation of one of his favorite short-yardage plays, the mesh concept. This is mesh pivot, with the shallow cross receivers pivoting back outside instead of crossing all the way to the other side of the field. Wentz again shows a good process here. The pre-snap motion again indicates man coverage, but he confirms it off the snap by checking the linebacker covering the running back. The linebacker instantly sprints out to the flat to cover the back, so Wentz knows its man coverage and that the back is well covered, so progresses inside to the pivot route from Rogers. Wentz also has the presence of mind to wait a beat for Rogers, who slips making his break, before showing a quick release to get the ball out and find Rogers for a first down.
Unfortunately, Antonio Gibson fumbled on the next play to kill that drive, so Washington came out passing to start the next drive.
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