Lately, Carson Wentz has been earning praise. The wily veteran is second-to-none in his toughness even if he’s not the athlete he once was.

After practice yesterday, Vikings Territory got a chance to chat with Mr. Wentz for a few minutes. Doing so gave us a chance to discuss how joint practices went, what he has seen in J.J. McCarthy, and how he understands his job with the Vikings going into 2026.

Carson Wentz Says Much in a Few Minutes

“You never know what tomorrow brings for anybody.” That was a key sentiment coming from the chat with Carson Wentz.

I wanted to know about what he has observed in J.J. McCarthy getting bumped down to QB2. “I think he’s handled it well,” the veteran began. “It’s a tough business. It’s a tough league, tough business, tough with media, the pressure, all the things that come with it.” Wentz then hastened to add that “the story is far from written for him, for Kyler, for myself.”

“I think he’s gotten better since I got here, I’ve seen it firsthand,” Wentz explained. Partnering improvement with a player’s readiness and the NFL’s unpredictability means that the young lad shouldn’t be discounted.

Pivoting off that, I asked Wentz about how he understands his own role on the team.

His answer in full: “Great question. It’s help the team however I can. Stay ready, whatever that looks like. Yeah, at the end of the day it’s why I signed here is to, if my number gets called, I’m confident in what I can do and what I can bring to the table within this system especially. So we’ll see how it all shakes out.”

In 2025, Carson Wentz went 2-3 as the Vikings’ starter. He completed a very healthy 65.1% of his passes for 1,216 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. Part of the reason for not seeing more promising production was due to injury.

Wentz could have signed somewhere else. He liked the chance to do good things with the Vikings. “It’s just somewhere I thought if my number did get called,” Wentz explained, “I’d feel that I have success.” Shortly thereafter, Wentz lamented his injury, calling it a “bummer” while wondering aloud where things would have gone without getting hurt.

As it relates to joint practices, Wentz indicated that mixing things up in practice was refreshing. Essentially every player says as much but that’s likely because it’s true. Going against different players who play within a different scheme is refreshing.

The Minnesota Vikings want to proceed through the 2026 season with Carson Wentz as the QB3. Seeing that become a reality will mean that some key things have happened.

First, Kyler Murray and/or J.J. McCarthy have been healthy enough to shoulder the burden of starting. Neither could be described as being the NFL’s version of Cal Ripken. Fingers crossed that both remain healthy but that’s far from a guarantee.

Second, Kyler Murray and/or J.J. McCarthy played well enough to remain as the starting QB. Minnesota is desperate for a franchise passer. The current plan is to let Murray prove he’s that guy but McCarthy would be the next man up.

Having Wentz on the roster means boasting a passer with great size and better athleticism than a lot of mid-30s QBs. He has demonstrated a good connection with Justin Jefferson and will inspire belief in his teammates. The Vikings could win with him.

In the 2016 NFL Draft, Carson Wentz was chosen at No. 2 by the Philadelphia Eagles. He has since played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Commanders, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, and Minnesota Vikings.

The passer is 33.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

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The Cleveland Browns got a poor performance out of Deshaun Watson on Saturday, and a former player is blunt about what it should mean.

Against the Buffalo Bills, the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback had a putrid performance in relief of Shedeur Sanders in the second half, covering only 36 yards on 5-of-12 passing and being intercepted once by Te’Cory Couch en route to a 7-31 loss:

In the aftermath of that game, Robert Griffin III, who played with the Browns in 2016, gave this blunt takeaway for head coach Todd Monken:

“The Browns should start Shedeur Sanders.”

He then added shortly after:

“The Browns absolutely screwed their QB competition up.”

Sharing his sentiment was Ben Axelrod, writer for Front Office Sports:

Watson was also the subject of heavy boos during the game, but he insinuated that they were not related to his play during the post-game press conference:

“I didn’t have no reaction. I think the whole world knows it has nothing to do about the performance. It’s a little bit [more] personal than that. I think that’s a disrespectful thing. I’m gonna keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally with how I feel about that and move on.”

ALSO READ: “Zero reason you would start Deshaun Watson over Shedeur Sanders”: NFL analyst serves reality check to Todd Monken after Browns’ preseason game

ALSO READ: Deshaun Watson’s wife Jilly Anais shows off game day outfit during Q3 as Browns QB gets booed by Cleveland fans

Shedeur Sanders rues Browns fans booing Deshaun Watson during rout vs. Bills

Speaking of the boos Deshaun Watson received from Browns fans, he received a defense from a surprising source.

Shedeur Sanders, who started the game against the Bills, finished with nine completions for 74 yards and a touchdown to Luke Floriea against an interception to Damar Hamlin. After the game, he expressed disappointment in how the fans reacted to the game from the stands:

“Regardless of competition, we’re all human beings. I think we all need to understand that. In this room too, we’re all humans. I don’t do things to humans that I wouldn’t want done to me. I don’t like making people feel uncomfortable in different spaces, and that’s why, even in daily things I do, I try to make sure everybody’s comfortable.”

He continued:

“However you feel about the situation with Deshaun and everything, I think it’s more about a bigger purpose and it’s respect. It’s a respect thing that I feel should be there, because we’re all out there trying to do our best and serve the franchise the best way possible. We’re going out there to win games, doing everything we can.”

The Browns end their preseason this coming Thursday against the New England Patriots. Kickoff is at 8 p.m. ET.