Since the moment Ryan Fitzpatrick signed with the Washington Football Team in March, head coach Ron Rivera said he would start at quarterback — but there would be competition.
Rivera stated he’d learned a valuable lesson from last season when he essentially handed the starting position to second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins. It didn’t take Rivera long to recognize his mistake and pull the plug on that experiment.
“Last year, one of the mistakes I made obviously was I didn’t have the true competition,” Rivera said in April.
After Washington completed its three-day minicamp on Thursday, Rivera again stressed there would be competition when training camp begins next month.
“It’s going to be a good competition,” Rivera said, per Matthew Paras of The Washington Times.
I look forward to it, I think it’s going to push our football team and make our football team better. I just feel that going into this knowing we have a proven guy (in Fitzpatrick) that has the ability to lead us, but again, we have a guy in Taylor that shows us he can do it. They are going to compete, they are going to push and I’m looking forward to it.
Did you notice that Kyle Allen wasn’t named?
We know this staff likes Allen. After the season, Rivera praised Allen in saying he felt the team could’ve made the playoff run with him under center, a remark that some believe could’ve upset Alex Smith.
Allen is still recovering from a major leg injury but he did participate in OTAs and minicamp and hopes to be 100% by training camp.
As for Fitzpatrick, he will likely get the nod. But Heinicke opened some eyes in OTAs and minicamp. Players believe in him. If Fitzpatrick struggles for any period of time, Rivera and offensive coordinator Scott Turner will have no problem turning to Heinicke.
So, Washington fans, brace yourselves for yet another possible quarterback controversy in 2021 if Fitzpatrick struggles out of the gate. Most are going to remember Heinicke’s performance against Tampa Bay in the playoffs and believe that’s who he is all of the time. When Fitzpatrick throws his first interception, there will be segments of the fan base who clamor for Heinicke.
Regardless of what transpires in training camp, Washington does have solid depth at the game’s most important position in 2021, which is vital for a team with playoff hopes.
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