By Adam Aniba
The addition of Carson Wentz has been met with skepticism, but mostly excitement among Washington fans. In saying that, the former Eagles/Colts QB's success will hinge on the weapons around him and the play calling of OC Scott Turner.
Fresh with a new $71 million dollar extension in hand, the most valuable player on offense, will be Wentz' most effective weapon. Terry McLaurin has played with nearly a dozen quaterbacks since his arrival in Washington, but the new signal caller might be his best yet.
During McLaurin's absence in OTA's, another potential star on offense started to open eyes. During 11-on-11 drills, rookie receiver Jahan Dotson developed an evident connection with Wentz, while making the one-handed snags the PSU rookie is known for. During a Commander's post-practice presser, Wentz discussed his impression of the rookie receiver and his expectations.
"He catches the football as natural as anybody I've been around, just how natural he plucks it out of the air. I got a lot of high expectations for him just as a rookie to just continue to keep growing, learning and understanding the bigger picture of this game. I think he's doing a really good job of where he is at right now."
Expectations are still high for receiver Curtis Samuel, but with the WR missing more time in OTA's, (unrelated to '21 injury per reports) many fans are skeptical if he'll ever have a significant impact in Washington. Regardless of the former Carolina WR's availability, we should see a healthy dose of Cam Sims and second year receiver Dyami Brown competing for snaps on the outside.
Although most of the attention will be on McLaurin during Washington's upcoming Training Camp, fans will likely see coaches trying out multiple sub-packages, utilizing different receivers in motion/lining up inside and outside.
Having a plug & play slot like Dotson, who's versatile enough to line up all over the field, could take the passing game to a new level in '22.
Washington has lacked an effective deep ball passer and that's exactly the strength that their new signal caller brings to the table. But the chemistry that Wentz and Dotson have started to develop, could dramatically fast track Washington's hopes of getting their second NFC East championship and playoff berth during the Ron Rivera era.
*YouTube Video credit SwayRun*