Ron Rivera Hints Washington Might Be In Market For QB During Offseason
As it turns out, Taylor Heinicke was not the answer at quarterback for the Washington Football Team.
Heinicke was fun and provided some nice moments in the 2020 season, such as his dazzling performance in the 31-23 NFC Wild Card loss to the Buccaneers. But his play was inconsistent in 2021 and bottomed out towards the end of the season.
In his first 15 starts, Heinicke threw for 3,419 yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions on 65% passing. Not bad for a first time starter, right? Take a look at his numbers in December and January though, when Washington was in the thick of things, and it's a different story.
In his last four starts, Heinicke threw for 610 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions on 53.4% passing. His passer rating was 61.9, and Washington went 1-3 in those games. A four-game winning streak was undone and Washington (7-10) missed the playoffs.
Now that the Heinicke experiment appears to be at an end, head coach Ron Rivera said the team will consider adding another quarterback for the 2022 season.
"As we look at all avenues, and we sit down, and we talk about trading, whether it's trading for a player or trading up in the draft — what will it take? We can have an earnest conversation where we may say, 'It's going to take not just draft picks, but it may take a core player or two.' With the depth we have at certain positions, we might be," Rivera said Tuesday, via FOX News.
Washington did just that last offseason, signing Ryan Fitzpatrick to a one-year, $10 million contract. The Football Team was unfortunately in the wrong placement of the "Ryan Fitzpatrick Wheel" as Fitzpatrick was paid and then didn't do much after. This time, however, it wasn't any of his doing. The 39-year-old entered the season as the starter, but suffered a hip injury in the Week 1 loss to the Chargers. Fitzpatrick underwent arthroscopic hip surgery and didn't play the rest of the season.
Washington has the No. 11 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, putting them in prime position to grab a quarterback if they want to. The Texans' Deshaun Watson, the Seahawks' Russell Wilson and the Packers' Aaron Rodgers all may be available via trade, while the Saints' Jameis Winston and the Broncos' Teddy Bridgewater will be the top options on the free agent market.
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