Carson Wentz's return to NFC East 'feels right' originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Carson Wentz’s first season with the Commanders is full of reunions with his former teams, but none will be more anticipated than his return to Philadelphia.
Wentz spent the first five seasons of his career with the Eagles after the team drafted him No. 2 overall back in 2016, so he already has a good idea of what the reception will be like when he runs onto Lincoln Financial Field as a visiting player.
“It’ll be interesting, it’ll be interesting,” Wentz told Julie Donaldson, Commanders’ SVP of Media and Content. “I’m very aware [how opponents are treated in Philadelphia] and I’ll be ready for it. For me, it’s already crossed my mind and I’m trying to not let [the game] be about [his return] … I know from the outside looking in, there’s a lot on those games. For me, I just try to keep it light, play good football and hopefully get some W’s.”
Wentz’s tenure with the Eagles had its ups, like an MVP-caliber campaign in 2017 and an NFC East crown in 2019, but things did not end well. After a disastrous 2020 season where he led the NFL in interceptions (15) despite starting just 12 games, the Eagles traded Wentz to the Colts and have since moved forward with Jalen Hurts as their starting quarterback.
There was certainly fault on both sides of that particular divorce. Philadelphia built an old, talent-deprived roster around him in 2020 and then Wentz followed suit by playing the worst football of his career. Nevertheless, it’s hard to imagine Eagles fans going easy on him.
Reunions aside, Wentz is happy to be back in a familiar division. Wentz has a pretty good track record against Washington, the Giants and Cowboys from his days with Philadelphia and is looking forward to picking up where he left off.
“The NFC East, it feels right,” Wentz said. “I had a lot of fun competing in this division for a long time and I look forward to getting back into it.”
The specific weeks in which his return to Philadelphia — and Indianapolis — have not yet been announced. The NFL plans to release its full 2022 schedule on May 12.
In the meantime, Commanders fans can look forward to his introductory press conference on Thursday, March 17 at 10:30 a.m., which will be streamed live on NBCSports.com/Washington
