Commanders activate Carson Wentz from injured reserve

The Washington Commanders activated quarterback Carson Wentz to their roster Monday and placed center Tyler Larsen on injured reserve. 

Though Wentz can now officially play, coach Ron Rivera has repeatedly said Washington will stick with Taylor Heinicke as its starting quarterback. Heinicke replaced Wentz after the latter suffered a fractured finger in a Week 6 win over the Chicago Bears. Heinicke helped Washington go 5-1-1 in Wentz’s absence — a stretch that led Rivera to declare that Wentz would become the backup once fully recovered. 

Wentz, Washington’s big offseason acquisition, returned to practice Nov. 23, but Washington had 21 days to activate him from injured reserve.

As a result of the time Wentz missed because of the injury, the Commanders will likely only have to give the Indianapolis Colts a third-rounder in next year’s draft instead of a second-round pick.  When the Commanders traded for Wentz in March, the team agreed to swap seconds with Indianapolis and send the Colts a 2022 third-rounder and a conditional third that could become a second if Wentz played at least 70% of the team’s snaps — a condition that almost certainly won’t be met now. Wentz went 2-4 as a starter for Washington this season.

Larsen’s loss, meanwhile, is particularly damaging for the Commanders. The veteran helped provide stability to the center position after Washington lost starter Chase Roullier (knee) and struggled with backups Wes Schweitzer and Nick Martin. Larsen got hurt in Washington’s tie against the New York Giants earlier this month and reportedly suffered a dislocated kneecap.

Larsen will miss at least the rest of the regular season as being placed on injured reserve requires a player to miss at least four games. The Commanders only have four games left this season.