Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera insists there will be an open competition for starting quarterback during training camp. That’s despite the team signing 36-year old veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick to a one-year deal worth up to $12 million this offseason.
Still, Rivera told ESPN’s John Keim he is looking forward to seeing if presumed backup Taylor Heinicke can push Fitzpatrick. Rivera doesn’t want to repeat the mistake of handing over a job without a real competition like he did last year with Dwayne Haskins.
Rivera’s words echoed louder following reports of on-site media speaking on how well Heinicke looked during last week’s mandatory minicamp. However, one Washington insider cautions that actions of the team spoke louder than any words Rivera said.
Appearing on the Kevin Sheehan Show, JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington gave insight of how he read through the lines during Washington’s practices.
“It’s Fitz’ job, he’d have [to] perform incredibly bad to not be the Week 1 starter in my opinion,” Finlay said, per Washington Realm. “I was there at mini camp, I saw Heinicke look good, but he got zero snaps with the first team.”
It’s safe to assume the starting quarterback position is Fitzpatrick’s to lose, at the very least. Heinicke did flash with the late-season opportunities he got. He relieved Haskins and played well in Week 16. Then, he started Washington’s wild card round loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the playoffs. But, Fitzpatrick at this juncture has a leg up on the younger QB.
One can’t fault the message Rivera is putting out publicly. In his first season as head coach, Rivera anointed Haskins the starter from the start of training camp. Four games into the season, Haskins was benched which sparked a quarterback carousel that led to four different quarterbacks starting during the 2020 season.
That included since-retired Alex Smith as well as Heinicke and Kyle Allen, whom is also still on Washington’s roster. Last year, the veteran Smith was the preferred choice under center. Expect for Fitzpatrick to be the same in 2021.
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