Commanders QB coach: Carson Wentz is 'curious, and in a good way'

Those who have paid any attention to the subject know that Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera has repeatedly gushed over Carson Wentz since the club traded for the former Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts starting quarterback in March. Just last week, Rivera said at the end of mandatory minicamp that Wentz has already spread "confidence" to his new teammates and also developed "rapport with some of our receivers." 

Commanders quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese remarked that Wentz isn't letting the fact that he's cemented atop the depth chart impact his work ethic. 

"He’s intuitive, he’s curious, he’s hungry for football—that’s the part that’s fun for me," Zampese explained about Wentz, per Bijan Todd of NBC Sports Washington. "We got certain technique things that we’re working on, he’s making those adjustments." 

Zampese added that Wentz has embraced learning all there is to know about his new offense ahead of training camp sessions. 

"He’s curious, and in a good way. That’s what we’re looking for," Zampese said. "The communication’s been great, his ideas, doing what we’re asking him to do and wanting to know, 'Hey, how do you want to do this, how do you see this play?' That curiosity will get us further, faster. It’s really been fun that way to see that." 

Wentz's performances over the final two games of the 2021 season caused Indianapolis to go in a different direction this offseason, but ESPN stats note that the 29-year-old finished the campaign 13th among eligible signal-callers with a 94.6 passer rating and tied for ninth with a 54.7 total QBR. The Commanders would likely happily take similar numbers from Wentz during the upcoming campaign as long as he remains consistent through all 17 regular season games and, ideally, through a handful of postseason contests.