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The Washington Football Team desperately needs long-term stability at the quarterback position. While Taylor Heinicke has proven to be a nice find, he has limitations. Make no mistake, Heinicke has proven he belongs in the NFL and could be a high-quality backup, but he’s not Washington’s quarterback of the future.
For anyone still trying to convince themselves that Heinicke can lead Washington to a Super Bowl has seen some of his limitations on display in recent weeks. That’s not a knock on Heinicke, he can play, and Washington doesn’t win its six games without him in 2021, but the WFT will be looking for a quarterback this offseason.
That search will likely begin on the trade market. Washington will check the availability of veterans such as Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson, but acquiring any of the three is highly unlikely. That means Washington will draft a quarterback high in the 2022 NFL draft.
Offensive coordinator Scott Turner, himself a former college quarterback, discussed what he looks for in evaluating quarterbacks. Turner cited accuracy and decision-making as critical skills.
We talked about decision making, obviously. I think accuracy, you gotta be an accurate passer. There’s degrees of that. You know what I mean? But the ball’s gotta go where you want it to go. I think those two things really go hand in hand. There’s like a list of attributes. Depending on the guy, it’s like what’s more important than the other? If a guy doesn’t move as well, that’s tough. It makes it tough to play. Well, he better have a really quick release and a strong arm. Those decisions better happen fast, and the ball’s gotta come out. Maybe his arm isn’t quite as strong, then the athleticism better be up there. His athleticism, his ability to move, to get outta the pocket. I think, ultimately, and we talked about this before, the most successful quarterbacks in this league over time are guys that are gonna beat you throwing the ball. You got guys like [Packers QB] Aaron Rodgers who has an unbelievable arm or like [Chiefs QB] Patrick Mahomes, unbelievable arm. They’ve got a lot of really good athleticism too, so they can extend plays.
Outside of accuracy and decision-making, Turner mentioned the need for athleticism and arm strength. While having a big-time arm doesn’t guarantee success, it doesn’t hurt. But in this day and age, mobility is more important than ever. As Turner said, you don’t necessarily need someone who can run like Lamar Jackson, but the quarterback must be able to move well. If he can’t move well, then he better have a quick release and a strong arm.
While some will debate the overall strength of the 2022 quarterback class, there are some good options available for Washington. Kenny Pickett, Matt Corral and Sam Howell are a few of the top quarterbacks in the upcoming class. All are passers first but have the athleticism to pick up yards with their legs.
Washington’s front office spent plenty of time at the college games of some of the top passers eligible for the 2022 draft. It’s almost a lock Washington comes out of the draft with one of the top passers.