Reggie Ragland said “some” of Washington’s players would’ve preferred Heinicke to play.
Cleveland Browns linebacker Reggie Ragland starred at the University of Alabama before arriving in the NFL as a second-round pick in 2016. Ragland has moved around a bit and, last month, signed with Cleveland after spending a month on the Raiders’ practice squad.
Ragland played in Sunday’s 24-10 victory over the Washington Commanders, finishing with two tackles.
However, his comments after the game were much more interesting than anything he did on the field Sunday.
In preparation for the Commanders last week, Cleveland defensive coaches watched a lot of film, obviously seeing plenty of both Washington quarterbacks, Carson Wentz and Taylor Heinicke.
After the game, Ragland spoke with the media via Tramel Raggs of The Washington Post and noted Wentz’s long, slow release as something that allowed defenders to “get a good break on it and make something shake.”
Ragland also noted how each quarterback is different and, as a result, the offense is different with each quarterback.
But it was his comments about what some Washington players preferred that were most interesting.
“Like some of the guys I know on the team, they would’ve preferred Heinicke because they know he gets the ball out,” Ragland said.
Ok, let’s refer back to Ragland’s time at Alabama. As you know, the Commanders have some prominent players from Alabama, including Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, Allen, Payne and wide receiver Cam Sims all played with him at Alabama. Ragland also spent some time with Washington cornerback Kendall Fuller in Kansas City.
Those are certainly interesting comments and would mean that Rivera didn’t have the pulse of his entire team if true. Now, of course, it doesn’t mean the aforementioned players are the ones who spoke to Ragland, but he did mention “some of the guys,” meaning more than one would’ve preferred Heinicke.
Wentz would go on to pass for only 143 yards and throw three interceptions in an abysmal performance that cost Washington any chance at the playoffs.
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