Wentz, who led his team to an uninspiring 12-7 win on Sunday against the Chicago Bears to take a 2-4 record into Week 7, has been disappointing since arriving in Washington in the offseason.
In that contest, he suffered the injury when his hand was hit hard during the follow-through of a throw in the second quarter, clearly causing him discomfort, although he never left the game.
Only two quarterbacks – Matthew Stafford and Matt Ryan – have thrown more interceptions than Wentz's six this season, and he is tied with Chicago Bears second-year starter Justin Fields as the most sacked quarterback in the league (23 times).
The report from ESPN states the Commanders are unsure about how much time Wentz will have to miss, although they have a capable backup in Taylor Heinicke, as well as rookie Sam Howell who impressed in preseason.
Heinicke started 16 games last season for a 7-9 record, throwing 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions while also showing his mobility with a 95-yard rushing game against the Green Bay Packers.
The Commanders sit at least two wins behind the three other teams in the NFC East, but can move one step closer to a .500 record with a home win against the Packers this Sunday.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Falcons are bringing Heinicke in to compete with Desmond Ridder and add some much-needed experience.
Heinicke – who turns 30 on Wednesday – will arrive in Atlanta from Washington, where he played 27 times since arriving towards the end of the 2020 season.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports the deal will be for two years and worth up to $20million.
After being released by the Carolina Panthers in 2019, Heinicke joined the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL, though did not play a game before the league was suspended in April 2020.
He signed with Washington in December 2020, playing once in the regular season against the Panthers, before also featuring in the Wild Card round defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Heinicke was a near ever-present in the 2021 season, with 20 passing touchdowns and one rushing in 16 appearances (15 starts), while he also started nine times in the 2022 campaign, with 12 passing TDs and one rushing.
Filling in for Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is out with a hip injury and likely not available until November, Heinicke threw two touchdown passes in a game for the first time in his short NFL career.
The quarterback has had prior spells in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, Houston Texans and Carolina Panthers, but before this season he had tallied just eight games in the league.
Now Heinicke has a chance to play a string of games for Washington, and even though he threw an interception with 2:22 remaining in Thursday night's game, he came good after that, commandeering the drive that resulted in Dustin Hopkins making a match-winning field goal.
Heinicke finished the game with 34-for-46 passing for 336 yards and the two touchdowns, as Washington won their first game of the season.
Speaking on Thursday Night Football, Heinicke said: "Defense came up big and we had a chance to close them out there and throwing a pick is not what you want to do.
"A lot of guys came up to me and said we've got one more chance to do it and fortunately we did. Defense came up and we went down and scored."
Asked whether he considered he had done enough to stay on the team, Heinicke said: "I do, and I have confidence that I can do it. If those guys in the locker room and the facility believe in me, that's all that matters and I think they do, so let's try to keep this ball rolling."
An impressed Rivera was captivated by Heinicke looking to make amends for his error, and by the 28-year-old's overall performance..
"It was very gutty," said the Washington coach. "The thing that was real impressive about him was the way he bounced back after the turnover. Prior to that, he went down and, in what, three plays, he scored a touchdown and turned around, and we were trying to kill the clock, and he made a bad read, made a bad decision.
"But getting that opportunity, he stepped up again."
Heinicke lost his cool and threw down his helmet after the interception, before gathering his thoughts and moving on.
"He was p*****. He was upset at himself, he really was," said Rivera. "He slammed his helmet into the ground. It was just one of those things that you just felt if we can get the ball into his hands...
"He does have the ability to throw the ball, and make all the throws And we've seen that. And he's got a lot of confidence. And when he gets into a really nice rhythm, he can deliver a good ball.
"He's got a little swagger to him and his team-mates feed off of it, they really do."
Heinicke threw for 306 yards and a touchdown, as well as rushing for 46 yards and a further score, in a 31-23 playoff defeat for the NFC East champions to Tampa Bay.
Those stack up as impressive numbers for someone who was not even meant to be playing in the Wild Card game in the first place.
Alex Smith had steered Washington to the divisional title in Week 17, yet he failed to overcome a calf injury in time to start against the Buccaneers.
With their first-choice option ruled out, Washington turned to a 27-year-old they had only signed to their practice squad in early December, an undrafted quarterback who had spent time with four other teams in the league and who had previously thrown a grand total of 58 pass attempts in his NFL career.
The new addition did catch the eye when coming in to replace the underperforming Dwayne Haskins, Washington's first-round pick in 2019, in the fourth quarter of a Week 16 defeat to the Carolina Panthers. Still, this was different. This was the playoffs. This was a game against Tom Brady. This was in primetime.
While there was no fairytale result for the underdog in the end, Heinicke emerged as the headline story from the opening day of the postseason.
His performance made him just the third quarterback to have at least 300 passing yards and 40 rushing yards in a playoff debut, a feat previously achieved by Daunte Culpepper and Tim Tebow (who both won, by the way).
"I have nothing but respect for number four," Washington receiver Terry McLaurin said of his quarterback after the loss.
"The way he came in and handled his business on a moment's notice when we found out that Alex wasn't going to be able to go. He was just prepared for the moment. That's what this league is about, being prepared for your moment."
So, what's next for the new hero? Heinicke is set to become a free agent but made clear in the aftermath that he would like to be back with Washington. The franchise ended the Haskins experiment considerably early by releasing him last month and while Smith is still under contract, he will be 37 by the time the next regular season begins.
Head coach Ron Rivera - who described his quarterback's display as "gutsy" - would not be drawn over the team's plans for the future in the immediate aftermath.
"We'll see what happens. I was just very proud of what he did, coming out and competing the way he did and helping us get where we are today," Rivera, who had previously worked with Heinicke at the Carolina Panthers, told the media.
There may be alternative options elsewhere too, considering plenty will have seen what Heinicke produced against the Bucs. At the very least, he profiles as a solid back-up in a sport where they are coveted – teams are willing to pay to have a reliable understudy waiting in the wings.
"I'm proud of myself and I'm happy that coaches believed in me and gave me the opportunity. Hopefully I can do it again next year," Heinicke said.
"I want to be in the NFL, I want to keep playing ball. It's a dream of mine and [I will] keep working towards it."
Heinicke should get his wish to keep playing, whether that be in Washington again or somewhere else.
The 27-year-old has penned an extension worth a reported $8.75 million, marking a remarkable turnaround for a man whose NFL career looked to be heading for an early finish.
Heinicke stepped in after Alex Smith, who steered Washington to the divisional title in Week 17, failed to overcome a calf injury in time to start against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He threw for 306 yards and a touchdown, as well as rushing for 46 yards and a further score, in a 31-23 playoff defeat for the NFC East champions to the Bucs.
Having been set for restricted free agency, Heinicke was delighted to be given a new lease of life.
"It's a good feeling," Heinicke, who is studying for an engineering degree, told Washington's website.
"Everyone knows I was at home taking math classes...so for this contact to come, it's a big sigh of relief.
"I'm really excited. This is the place I wanted to be, so everything came together pretty smoothly, and I'm really excited to be back."
Knowing they were likely outmatched in a shootout, the Commanders came in with the strategy to keep possession for as long as possible, limiting the Eagles' chances to score.
Things looked headed for the Eagles' ninth consecutive win to start the season after Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke lost a fumble on the first drive due to Josh Sweat's strip-sack, leading to a quick Jalen Hurts rushing touchdown to put the hosts up 7-0.
Washington's ensuing drives would span 13 plays and over seven minutes, 12 plays and over six minutes, before scoring their second touchdown of the first half to cap a 16-play, seven-minute march downfield to lead 20-14 at halftime.
Commanders running backs Brian Robinson Jr and Antonio Gibson scored the first-half touchdowns, and they were key on another 14-play, eight-minute drive to open the third quarter, resulting in a field goal.
A Devonta Smith touchdown early in the fourth quarter cut the lead to 23-21, and a late Heinicke interception gave the Eagles a chance to mount a late comeback, but they would lose two fumbles down the stretch before their Hail Mary attempt with five seconds left resulted in a third fumble and a defensive touchdown.
The Commanders ran the ball 49 times for 152 yards – the second most rushing attempts in a single game this season, trailing only the Eagles in their Week 4 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It resulted in Washington having 40 minutes and 24 seconds of ball control time, while the Eagles possessed it for just 19 minutes and 36 seconds.
The win pulls the Commanders to an even 5-5 record, while the Eagles have their first blemish, now 8-1.
