Thursday night’s game against the Giants won’t be the first start of quarterback Taylor Heinicke’s NFL career, but it offers him a different opportunity than the first two.
Heinicke started a game for the 2018 Panthers as they were playing out the string of a losing season and he played well in Washington’s Wild Card loss against the Buccaneers last season, but never seemed to have a real shot at an extended run in the job once Ryan Fitzpatrick signed with the team. Fitzpatrick’s on injured reserve after hurting his hip in Week One, however, and that means Heinicke is looking at multiple games to make his mark as an NFL starter.
“Something I’ve been dreaming about my whole life, being a starting quarterback in the NFL, and here we are,” Heinicke said, via Ben Standig of TheAthletic.com. “I really try and take it one day at a time, one meeting at a time, one play at a time. I feel like if I just live in the moment, everything else will take care of itself.”
Wide receiver Terry McLaurin expressed faith in Heinicke because the quarterback is “always ready for the moment” and proving McLaurin right could lead to a lot more starts in Heinicke’s future.