With Wentz injured, Commanders have 'full trust' in Heinicke originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
ASHBURN, Va. — Following the Washington Commanders’ victory in Chicago last Thursday, starting quarterback Carson Wentz approached backup Taylor Heinicke with some unfortunate news to share.
“I remember Carson telling me after the game that he felt like he had a cracked finger,” Heinicke recalled on Wednesday. “I told him I was going to pretend like he didn’t say that to me. I had some plans to go play some golf down in Norfolk.”
Heinicke did spend the mini bye playing some golf in his old college town. Wentz, meanwhile, traveled to Los Angeles earlier this week to see a hand specialist. That visit to California resulted in Washington’s QB1 undergoing surgery on his right ring finger. With Wentz reportedly expected to miss roughly a month after the procedure, the Commanders’ offense is now Heinicke’s show once again.
“It’s unfortunate it had to come in these circumstances,” Heinicke said. “But everyone in that locker room would be lying to you if they said they weren’t excited to go play when it’s their shot. I’m just trying to make the most of my opportunity.”
Last fall, Heinicke began the year as Washington’s backup behind Ryan Fitzpatrick, but Fitzpatrick suffered a season-ending hip injury just 16 snaps into Week 1. Heinicke went on to start 15 games for the club in 2021, his first true taste of starting experience in the NFL.
On Wednesday, Heinicke admitted he felt overwhelmed at times last year. But that experience — the ups and the downs that came from it — helped him understand what it takes to be an NFL quarterback. The former Old Dominion star feels he was able to grow immensely from the starting experience he had last year, something that should certainly benefit him when he takes the field again this Sunday.
“Fifteen games of playing in live football, it’s going to give you the confidence in what you need to do, what you need to look for and what not to do,” Heinicke said. “I’ve been looking at a lot of film from last year when I played. … I just feel like I am head and shoulders above where I was at that point.”
Usually when a team’s starting quarterback goes down, expectations for the offense change. Not in Washington, though. Head coach Ron Rivera called the switch from Wentz to Heinicke “an easy transition” due to his familiarity with Scott Turner’s offensive system. On Wednesday, multiple players echoed the head coach’s confidence in No. 4.
“He’s tough. With anybody that steps in, we’ve got confidence,” Curtis Samuel said. “We’ve got confidence in Carson, we’ve got confidence in Taylor. Everybody that steps in that pocket, we know their intentions are to go out there and win a game for us. We’re going to have confidence in whoever plays quarterback for us.”
“Having the familiarity with Taylor — I know we’ve had some quarterback changes over the years — but having a guy that you’ve worked with, the receiver group has worked with, that makes things a smooth transition,” star receiver Terry McLaurin said. “I think his ability to extend plays is really big for us. The heart which he plays with, a lot of our guys galvanize behind that. I know he’s going to give us a good chance to be successful.”
McLaurin added later on that the switch from Wentz to Heinicke didn’t feel like a real quarterback change due to the experience they have playing together. “It’s definitely a comfortable feeling playing with a guy you’re comfortable with,” he said.
Of course, both McLaurin and Samuel are plenty familiar with Heinicke. McLaurin served as the quarterback’s top target for all of last season. Samuel, although he spent most of 2021 hurt, has experience catching passes from Heinicke dating back to their time together in Carolina.
McLaurin and Samuel weren’t the only ones to express their confidence in Heinicke on Wednesday, either. Jahan Dotson, Washington’s first-round pick this spring, said he has “full trust” in Heinicke despite having limited reps with him.
“I haven’t been here very long, but as long as I’ve been here I’ve been playing with him and grown comfortable with him,” Dotson said. “I always say he’s the coolest quarterback in the room with the most swag. Getting to know him, he’s really a cool guy.”
Washington Football Talk Podcast | Listen and Follow | Watch on YouTube
Ever since Heinicke’s arrival in Washington, he’s been one of the most well-liked players in the locker room. Last year, his popularity skyrocketed among fans as the team’s starter, something that didn’t waver even as he returned to the backup role following the offseason addition of Wentz.
Besides his buoyant personality and incredible football journey, Heinicke has earned a lot of respect from his teammates because of his play style. Ever since his start against Tampa Bay in the 2020 playoffs, the quarterback has shown time and time again his willingness to put his body on the line and do whatever it takes to win.
“He’s just a guy who always, you can’t just measure him by his size or his arm or some of the intangibles that maybe that position is categorized as or identified as,” McLaurin said. “A lot of the things he brings to the table you can’t quite quantify. His ability to not quit — he comes into every game with confidence that he can help us win. He’s going to try to make any play possible to help us do that.
“Whether it’s making plays down the field, extending plays with his legs, diving for pylons, he’s a guy who’s always going to leave it out on the field,” McLaurin continued. “Anybody who’s on this team is going to respect that.”
McLaurin later praised Heinicke for the growth he’s shown over the past year — especially this season as the team’s backup. McLaurin said he’s noticed a difference in the way Heinicke’s driving the ball downfield, something the quarterback specifically worked on with trainers this offseason.
“He’s a guy who you just have confidence in his ability to make plays out there,” McLaurin said. “It may not be the prettiest, it may not be what you’re used to every single Sunday. … He has confidence in his own ability and I think we all feel that from him. We’re excited to see what he brings to the table this Sunday. As a group, we know he’s going to give us all he has. You never know what you’re going to get from Taylor, that’s the fun part of it.”
After starting 15 games in 2021, Heinicke said he understood the franchise’s decision to acquire Wentz this offseason. “You’re always looking for the next best guy in this league,” he said. But Heinicke’s preparation didn’t alter just because Wentz entered the picture.
“I understood it, I accepted it and I just kept working hard. That’s the only thing I could do, that’s the only thing I could control,” Heinicke said. “Throughout the whole offseason, I was like ‘I’m going to prepare like I’m starting, because who knows what’s going to happen?’ The NFL is a crazy game. One-hundred percent of the players in the NFL get hurt at some point. It’s unfortunate Carson got hurt. But here we are. I’m excited to go play.”
After six weeks on the sidelines, Heinicke is looking forward to getting his first chance to play in 2022 this Sunday against Green Bay — the same franchise he grew up rooting for.
“The secret recipe is going out there and winning,” Heinicke said. “That’s the only stat that matters.”
