The Washington Football Team did not make it out of Week 1 without a quarterback problem.
Starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick suffered a hip injury that will cause him to be out between six and eight weeks.
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (hip) placed on Injured Reserve. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/9bNn6X3Wsd
— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2021
Timeline update: WFT QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is being placed on injured reserve today, is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with the hip injury he suffered Sunday, per source.
Taylor Heinicke time.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 13, 2021
Hopefully the 38-year-old Fitzmagic heals and is able to return to the field later in the season.
Losing the starting quarterback is unfortunately not foreign territory for the WFT.
The team usually makes full use of three quarterbacks per season.
Who are the other quarterbacks on the roster?
Taylor Heinicke
28-year-old Taylor Heinicke is Fitzpatrick’s backup.
He is an undrafted free agent out of Old Dominion University.
WFT is his fifth team in his NFL career, and he also had a brief stint in the XFL with the St. Louis BattleHawks.
His other NFL teams include the Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots (practice squad), Houston Texans, and Carolina Panthers.
Heinicke’s most significant playing time came in 2018 with the Panthers.
He started six games in place of the injured Cam Newton.
Heinicke also played in WFT’s playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season.
WFT fans like him as does Rivera.
Against the Bucs, he threw for 306 yards and a touchdown.
Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen warming up with Terry McLaurin and Dyami Brown pic.twitter.com/6Elc6wIav1
— Zach Selby (@ZachSelbyWFT) September 14, 2021
Kyle Allen
Kyle Allen is another former Panther that followed Rivera to Washington.
He was traded to WFT from Carolina in the 2020 season.
Allen played four games last season after former quarterback Dwayne Haskins was benched.
In those games, he threw four touchdowns and one interception.
Kyle Shurmur
With Washington Football Team QB Ryan Fitzpatrick set to miss extended time with a hip subluxation, WFT has signed Kyle Shurmur to the practice squad.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 13, 2021
Kyle Shurmur is the newest Washington quarterback signed on Monday.
He is an undrafted free agent out of Vanderbilt.
Shurmur was the practice squad quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs when they won the Super Bowl.
Last season, he was on the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad.
What About Cam Newton?
QB Taylor Heinicke replaced Ryan FItzpatrick for Washington, and WFT has Kyle Allen as a third-stringer.
It is worth noting there's a QB on the open market who knows head coach Ron Rivera quite well. https://t.co/rh2PEuLy93
— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) September 12, 2021
Admittedly, none of these quarterbacks have Fitzpatrick’s experience.
Immediately everyone became fixated on free agent Newton.
Ron Rivera was his head coach in Carolina, and Rivera brought some of his staff over from his Carolina days.
Is a reunion possible?
With Ryan Fitzpatrick's injury, could there be a former Panthers reunion with Ron Rivera and Cam Newton in Washington?@ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio reports. pic.twitter.com/riXredMwIv
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) September 12, 2021
It seems unlikely as of right now.
Two of Rivera’s three quarterbacks are from Carolina so that might be enough for now.
With Cam Newton Available Ron Rivera says he will not add a new QB at this time. #Washington #Patriots #NFL pic.twitter.com/Nqw1xkJgnC
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) September 13, 2021
Other Factors
Perhaps Rivera thinks he can ride it out with his current roster of quarterbacks until Fitzpatrick returns especially if it is on the six-week end of the timeframe.
Another issue is that Rivera is a cancer survivor and was frustrated earlier in the summer with his team’s low percentage of COVID-19 vaccinated players.
On Tuesday, Washington Football Team HC Ron Rivera said he’s “beyond frustrated” with the low COVID-19 vaccination rate on his team.
Rivera, who is immune-deficient after battling cancer the last year, hopes his players understand.
💉: https://t.co/FSPR7VAkQ1 pic.twitter.com/V6orCrmYZg
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) July 27, 2021
Knowing that Newton had COVID-19 two times, it could be a health risk that Rivera is not willing to take.
Of course, if WFT gets on a losing streak, everything could change.
In the next six weeks, Washington plays Buffalo, New Orleans, Kansas City, and Green Bay, so the quarterback room will be put to the test while holding down the fort until Fitzpatrick returns.
NEXT: Ryan Fitzpatrick Officially Lands Yet Another Starting QB Job
