Ron Rivera is in no rush of naming the starting quarterback of the Washington Football Team. In theory there has been a quarterback competition between Ryan Fitzpatrick and Taylor Heinicke. But, throughout training camp and preseason there hasn’t been much of a battle.
Naming the starter seems more of a formality. Speaking with Brian Mitchell and JP Finlay on 106.7 the Fan, Rivera said he will make the announcement to the team at the appropriate time but the “players know” who will be behind center Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“Yeah, at some point. Because you don’t want it to divide,” Rivera said. “I think the players know. And when the moment’s appropriate, I’ll let everybody know. I’ll let everybody know what I think. But, you know, let’s do it on our schedule, okay? I get it. I know you guys want to be able to say, ‘I was the first one. I tweeted it out. I got it out.'”
Rivera added the timing of coaches announcing a starting QB depends on the level of the position battle.
“If you’ve got a hard fought, true knock-down, drag-out battle, you’ve got to make that decision early,” Rivera said.
The fact Rivera isn’t rushing the formal announcement seemingly tips his hand in what direction Washington is going at signal-caller.
Washington signed Fitzpatrick this offseason to a one-year deal worth up to $12 million to presumably be the starting quarterback in 2021. Heinicke signed a two-year extension this offseason that was fitting for a backup quarterback.
There hasn’t been much seen throughout training camp and two preseason games to change the pecking order at quarterback.
Fitzpatrick has a completion percentage of 57.1% through two preseason games. He’s completed 12-of-21 on his passes for 154 yards and a 7.3 yards per pass attempt average. He has drawn one sack.
Meanwhile, Heinicke has completed 71.4% of his passes at 20-of-28. He’s thrown for 166 yards with a 5.9 yards per pass attempt average. He’s been sacked twice. Neither quarterback has thrown for a touchdown or interception.
Despite the closeness in stats, Fitzpatrick has received the vast majority of snaps with the first unit in practice. He also started each of the first two preseason games.
