Could Carson Wentz and Terry McLaurin form next great QB-WR duo?
Carson Wentz will start at quarterback for the Washington Commanders in 2022 with newly re-signed Terry McLaurin as his go to target and his WR1. This could be a match made in heaven for two guys who have faced plenty of adversity when it comes to consistent play from the other’s position throughout their careers.
Sometimes in sports situations arise which offer excellent mutual opportunity for two entities. Think about Matthew Stafford and the Rams last year. Stafford was not able to reach his ceiling as a member of the Detroit Lions, never winning a single playoff game. Meanwhile, Sean McVay and the Rams were unable to reach their ceiling — winning a Super Bowl — prior to Stafford’s arrival last offseason.
Both Wentz and McLaurin have not had the proper weapons around them in their respective careers up util this point. I would even argue that at their respective talent level they are possibly the least-supported players at their positions. Here is a pretty good reason as to why that is the case:
Are Carson Wentz and Terry McLaurin the most talented players in the NFL at their respective positions who have not been properly utilized in terms of the help around them? Here is a couple reasons they just might be. (Chart data sourced from @statmuse and @pfref) pic.twitter.com/Un2OMA9WPs
— Sammy Schulman (@sschulman28) July 5, 2022
The TL:DR of these graphs are that Terry McLaurin has done a ton with very inconsistent QB play, and Carson Wentz has done a lot with very poor weapons to throw to throughout his six year career.
Everybody likes to talk about the fact that each of the last two years QB’s who joined new teams led them to superbowl wins (Brady and the Bucs, Stafford and the Rams), but nobody seems to have talked about the fact that the receiving yards leader each of the last two years has been one with a new QB throwing them the ball.
In 2020 Stefon Diggs was traded from the Vikings to the Bills and he and Josh Allen took the league by storm en route to a league best 127 receptions and 1,535 yards. It is also very well-documented the success Cooper Kupp had with Matthew Stafford last season. Kupp finished the year with the elusive WR triple crown – 145 receptions, 1,947 receiving yards, 16 touchdowns. Not to mention a super bowl MVP.
It is unrealistic to expect those kinds of levels of greatness from Wentz and McLaurin in 2022, but it does go to show how far a breath of fresh air can take a QB-WR combo in this league. So let’s look at two bold predictions that may be in reach with this new combo together.