DONE DEAL AND GOOD TRADE: The Rams have signed a thirty-year-old quarterback from the Washington Commanders as insurance for Matthew Stafford.

In Los Angeles, A person familiar with the situation has confirmed that quarterback Carson Wentz has signed with the Los Angeles Rams.

Because Wentz needed to pass a physical before the deal could be announced, the source only spoke to the Associated Press on Tuesday under the condition of anonymity. This week is Los Angeles’ vacation.

After starting seven games for the Washington Commanders the previous season, Wentz has not participated in any NFL action this year. The seven-year NFL veteran will start all 17 games for Indianapolis in 2021 after starting every game for Philadelphia for five years.

The Rams (3-6) are in need of another quarterback to replace Matthew Stafford, who was sidelined last weekend in Green Bay due to a sprained thumb ligament.

The Rams have lost three straight games, dropping to 8-18 since winning the Super Bowl.
Before Stafford’s injury, the Rams’ only other quarterback was backup Brett Rypien, who struggled to a 13-of-28 performance with two fumbles and an interception in a 20-3 loss.

The Rams waived Rypien on Tuesday, which was necessary if the team intends to re-sign him to the practice squad.

Rams coach Sean McVay said Monday that he expects Stafford to play in their next game against Seattle on Nov. 19, but the signing of Wentz suggests the Rams want insurance in case the injury persists or Stafford is injured again.

Los Angeles attempted to make it through the season with only Stafford and Rypien as quarterbacks. Stetson Bennett was drafted in the fourth round by the Rams last spring, but the two-time national champion from Georgia has been absent from the team since the preseason for undisclosed reasons.

Due to a bruised spinal cord, Stafford missed the second half of the previous season, forcing the Rams to rely on backups John Wolford and Bryce Perkins.

After that, Los Angeles signed Baker Mayfield, who two days later helped the Rams defeat Las Vegas and ultimately revitalized his career to secure a new deal that will see him start at quarterback for Tampa Bay this season.

Rams general manager Les Snead selected Jared Goff over Wentz as the first overall pick in the 2016 draft after carefully assessing both quarterbacks.

Before being traded to Detroit in exchange for Stafford, who won the Super Bowl in his first season with the team, Goff guided the Rams to a Super Bowl appearance.

In his NFL career, Wentz has passed for 22,129 yards and 151 touchdowns. He was having a standout season for the Eagles in 2017 when he suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Rams, and Nick Foles went on to lead Philadelphia to a Super Bowl victory.

Although Wentz’s career has been a tale of lofty expectations and lost chances for his teams, he has continuously produced solid stats. He passed for a career-high 4,039 yards for the Eagles in 2019. However, Jalen Hurts took over as the team’s starting quarterback in 2020.

The following year, 2021, Wentz had a fantastic performance for the Colts, passing for 3,563 yards, 27 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions. Wentz was inconsistent even before breaking his ring finger in October and losing the starting job to Taylor Heinecke, but Washington eventually acquired him in March 2022 in exchange for two second-round picks and a third-round pick.

With two years left on his contract, Wentz, 30, was cut by Washington in February and did not find a new employer during the off-season.

The Rams cut quarterback Dresser Winn, defensive tackle Cory Durden, and running back Myles Gaskin from their practice squad on Tuesday. Winn was re-signed by the team last week in response to Stafford’s injury.

The Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams will play on November 26. In his career, Wentz has faced the Cardinals twice and gone 2-0.