Last offseason, Washington looked like a team that was a quarterback away from competing.
To solve that, the club signed quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. But he suffered a hip injury in Week One and was out for the rest of the year.
So Taylor Heinicke took over and had some ups and downs in starting 15 games for the club. He finished the year completing 65 percent of his passes for 3,419 yards with 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He had three fourth-quarter comebacks and four game-winning drives.
But after ending the season with seven wins for the second consecutive year, Washington will again look to improve its quarterback position this offseason.
In the team’s year-end press conference, head coach Ron Rivera and General Manager Martin Mayhew acknowledged that they will be looking at every option available to them.
“Nothing is out of the question,” Rivera said.
“We’ve been talking about this for several months now and how we move forward,” Mayhew said. “But, again, [we’ll go down] every avenue, uncover every stone, we’ll look at every situation out there and try to find the right guy.”
The incoming crop of quarterbacks for the 2022 draft is not as heralded as last year. But with Washington owning the 11th overall pick in the draft, Rivera noted it’s not just about where the team will pick but who the team will pick. And even though the team tried to get Matthew Stafford last year, Washington would be comfortable drafting a quarterback with the intent to start him.
“As we go through the process, if we believe that’s the best option, absolutely,” Rivera said. “But, again, we’re going to do what we believe is best for the football team going forward. And whether it is a rookie quarterback, or a free agent quarterback, or a quarterback on the roster, or trade, we’re going to look at everything and then make the decision.”
The Football Team also has Kyle Allen and Garrett Gilbert on its roster.