Free agency will not begin for another fortnight, the NFL Draft is still seven weeks away, and training camp doesn’t start for another few months. But Washington legend Joe Theismann says he has seen enough to make a projection on the team’s starting quarterback.
"I'm good with Taylor Heinicke coming in and having the job right from the get-go," Theismann said recently on the Doug Flutie podcast, “Flutie Flakescast.”
And this is a big take considering not many knew much about Heinicke before he started for Washington in the playoffs.
"I didn't know anything about him," Theismann said. "Every snap he took, every play he executed, I grew more and more in admiration for him.”
Theismann pointed to three attributes that make Heinicke a good pick for Washington: Mental toughness, his throwing ability, and his familiarity with offensive coordinator Scott Turner’s scheme.
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“You can't beat familiarity with the system. It's easier for a coach to talk to you as opposed to trying to explain it to somebody who's never been in it. I think he’s the guy you start with now,” Theismann told Flutie.
And Theismann expects there to be another addition to the QB room of Heinicke and Kyle Allen, who is recovering from a broken leg and expected to be retained by Washington.
“I think they'll probably wind up taking someone in the draft or making a deal for someone, but I don't think you should give up too much if you're the Washington Football Team. I certainly wouldn't give up that 1st round pick,” Theismann said.
“Our 1st round picks over the last three years, in particular, have been unbelievable. You have Montez Sweat, you've got Daron Payne, Chase Young, Rookie of the Year this year. They've been, you know, they're all 1st round picks. Jonathan Allen was another one, and Ryan Kerrigan was a 1st round pick. So there's five of them that were 1st round picks. I think it's been used very well.”
(Noticeably absent from Theismann’s list was that other first-round selection Washington made in 2019.)
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Theismann points out trading draft capital for another quarterback wouldn’t be smart for Washington because the team has plenty of holes on the offense that need to be addressed.
“We need help on the offensive side a bit. You need some depth at tight end. You need another receiver, possibly. Maybe you get that through a trade. There's lots of great running backs in this draft,” Theismann said. “I think wherever Najee Harris winds up going out of Alabama is going to help that football team. You may be looking at the second coming of a Derrick Henry with that kind of power, that kind of speed, to be able to make a difference in a game."
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