By: Jeremy Trottier

The Washington Football Team has one of the more interesting quarterback rooms in the league as of right now, and not really for a good reason, at least long term.  They currently have Ryan Fitzpatrick who will be a good bridge quarterback while they find another option.  They also re-signed Taylor Heinicke to a two-year deal this offseason, who flashed in the WFT’s one playoff game in the 2020-2021 season.  Neither of these options is seemingly long term though, as Fitz is higher up on the NFL age scale now and Heinicke is relatively unproven so far.

One of the QBs who has been on and off the trade block seemingly as of late is Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota.  A former Heisman Trophy winner in 2014, and the starter for the Tennessee Titans for a period of time.  Currently he is locked behind Derek Carr as a backup QB to fill in if Carr misses time, as we saw for a game last season.  However, in this article I will be going over three reasons as to why the Washington Football Team should target Mariota in a trade, and why he could be a good QB option for them.

Development Behind Veteran QB & Premier Coach

One of the most promising aspects of Marcus Mariota becoming a potential starter again is he now has a year under his belt learning from Derek Carr and Jon Gruden.  Starting with Carr, Derek has experienced quite a bit in the NFL and is a pretty exceptional quarterback for what he has had to work with in Las Vegas and previously Oakland.  Getting experience from an accurate and bigger armed QB like Carr will let him learn more about the NFL and about passing effectively, while being more safe with the ball.

He has also had time under Jon Gruden, who seems to follow the belief that quarterbacks do not need to do everything on the field.  I agree with this point to an extent, but Jon takes it to the level where rushing is extremely important for his teams and defensive aggressiveness and competitive toughness of his players is most important.  Mariota could stand to learn this mentality to an extent, as he was just thrown into a starting role with Tennessee and never given a chance to learn that he does not have to do all the work like he did with the Oregon Ducks in college.  Getting a year to sit behind Carr and learn about what his strengths and weaknesses are and learning how to cater to them in his own way is huge.  

Potential Scheme Fit in Washington

An interesting point to be made is how he would fit into the WFT quarterback room, as well as into their offensive scheme.  The two teams Mariota has played for so far are relatively high rush/smash mouth offenses, which makes sense as Tennessee has Derrick Henry and Las Vegas has Josh Jacobs.  However he seemingly would benefit from a team with a more high-flying intermediate to deep passing game offense.  Even though he does not have to do everything as a QB, his improvising abilities would allow for him to create yards where there are none if the pocket collapses.

Another thing to note is Washington has some fantastic weapons around the QB position right now which fit perfectly with this type of offense.  Terry McLaurin is a YAC machine and has really turned out to be a great WR1 in the league.  Curtis Samuel is another great fit, and should be a good WR2 to work with, Antonio Gibson had a great rookie season and was great at receiving out of the backfield, catching 81.8% of his targets during last season.  Logan Thomas is a great vertical threat for a more redzone and goalline style passing, and can really rip off some yards at times.  Finally Dyami Brown who Washington drafted this year is seemingly the slot receiver for the WFT offense, and his raw speed should make QBs jobs easy as he will separate from DBs quickly.

Relatively Low Trade Price

As I mentioned previously, Marcus Mariota is a backup to Derek Carr right now, and the Raiders also signed back another backup QB of theirs Nathan Peterman, who may not be great but should do the job for now.  With this info in hand, there is a good chance Mariota would only cost Washington at most a 2^nd round pick, and realistically a mid-round pick, whether it be 2022 or 2023.  Getting a 27-year-old quarterback who’s biggest need development wise is to just settle down in the pocket and think before throwing is a no brainer for that cheap, especially with their need for the position. 

The worst that happens is they have a bridge quarterback for next season, and they can draft one in 2022 to take over after a few weeks.  The best-case scenario is having a potential starter for the foreseeable future who fits into your scheme pretty well, and really can improvise situations to keep your offense alive.  The other reason he may be cheap is who knows when Derek Carr is going to either retire or leave the Raiders, so holding on to a quarterback in the prime years of his career would be a pretty bad idea, considering you can get something more useful in a trade for him like picks.  

Mariota does not hold much value right now presumably to the Raiders front office because he has not performed exceptionally well to this point in his career.  He underperformed his early first round price tag in the beginning of his career and is pretty much just a decent backup at this point in time as he likely will not jump Carr for the starting role anytime soon.  However, this would be a great fit for the WFT as their other options for the next season or two are minimal at this position, and a cheap option is worth trying out.  

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The Washington Football Team were crowned champions of the NFC East last season for the first time since the 2015 season, despite their 7-9 record.

In a division no team has retained since the 2004 season, can the Washington Football Team go on to repeat their success from last season?

The Right Man In Charge

If any team is to be successful, then they need a top quality head coach. Ron Rivera is certainly the man to fulfil those requirements.

Rivera guided the Carolina Panthers to a 15-1 record in the 2015 season, losing in Super Bowl 50 to the Denver Broncos. His time in Charlotte ended in disappointing fashion but in his first season in charge of Washington, Rivera reminded everyone what a great coach he is.

Rivera is a leader who immediately attracts respect from his players to his coaching staff.

“He’s definitely one of the pillars of my success. I always wanted to go out there and work for him, make him proud and show him that I’m going to capitalize on the opportunity that he presented me and he gave me. It’s deeper than football. He’s a great coach, but he’s a better man. That’s what really separates him from other coaches”, said Efe Obada, who got his chance in the NFL under Rivera.

“Ron means a lot to a lot of guys in here for a lot of things outside of football. The biggest thing you hear from current players, former players and guys who played for him in different organizations, is how much he meant to guys aside from just the fact that he was their football coach”, said former Panthers tight end Greg Olsen.

Quarterback Issue Resolved, For Now

There was one area of the field that held this team back in 2020, the quarterback position.

Washington’s defensive line excelled with Jonathan Allen and Defensive Rookie of the Year Chase Young. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin had an excellent season and will be accompanied by Curtis Samuel, who brings flexibility to the position. Running back Antonio Gibson was also brilliant in 2020, with 795 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.

However, quarterback was a problem for Washington. 2019 fifteenth overall pick Dwayne Haskins started week one but only started five more games before eventually being released. 

Kyle Allen was reunited with Rivera but injury would end his season prematurely. Alex Smith had the brilliant story, coming back after life threatening injury and Taylor Heinicke had his moment in the Wildcard Round to eventual Super Bowl Champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Smith has since retired and whilst Heinicke deserves a chance to be a starter, Rivera clearly feels he will not be the answer over the course of the whole season.

Ryan Fitzpatrick has come in this offseason after a two-year stint with the Miami Dolphins. After arguably one of the best seasons of his career, Fitz will hope to keep this momentum going into the 2021 season.

Fitzpatrick has been notoriously inconsistent during his sixteen NFL career. If Washington can get the one we saw in 2020 and the Fitz that threw for 31 touchdowns and 15 interceptions with the New York Jets in 2015, then Washington have their QB resolved.

However, there is likely only to be one or two seasons left of Fitzpatrick’s career. Whether or not Heinicke or Allen prove themselves, Washington may look at taking a quarterback in the 2022 or 2023 NFL Draft.

Can They Win The NFC East?

Washington have some talented players and have the nucleus of a young up and coming team.

The Dallas Cowboys will be the favourites for the division, with Dak Prescott’s injury likely to have been a reason for them not winning it. They have attempted to address their defensive issues in 2021 but head coach Mike McCarthy could hold them back.

A difficult season in 2021 is expected for the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants, despite a good offseason, still have their own issues at the quarterback position despite their promising head coach.

There is a feel good atmosphere in Washington once again after a difficult few years both on and off the field.

With the health of Dak and the question mark around Dallas’ defense and head coach, there is a tremendous opportunity for this Washington team to capitalise and win the NFC East once again.

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The Washington Football Team decided that this season they would abstain from drafting a quarterback.  However, they did bring in Ryan Fitzpatrick on a one year deal to be their transition QB until likely next season.  With that in mind, they definitely need to find their heir apparent with Alex Smith retiring and Dwayne Haskins not turning out.

In this article, I will be going over the three QBs that the WFT should consider from the 2022 class, factoring in their draft pick.  As of now the WFT has the 19^th best odds at getting the Super Bowl, which in this instance means they would have the 13^th pick next year.  Since that is the case, the three QB prospects considered will be more mid-first round prospects to keep realism.

Malik Willis ”“ Liberty University

Malik Willis is one of the highest potential risers coming up in the 2022 class, as his potential is astronomical to become the next dual threat QB.  After spending two years as a backup to Bo Nix in Auburn, he decided to transfer, in which he ended up at Liberty University.  2020 being his first season there, he was absolutely phenomenal in his first starting season.  He put up the following statline throughout the season:

• 10 games played
• 170 completions on 265 attempts (64.2% completion rate)
• 2,250 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 155.8 passer rating
• 141 rushing attempts for 944 yards and 14 touchdowns

It is pretty clear by now that Willis is an exceptional rusher as a QB, and has the capabilities to be a dual threat player with his ability to pass.  His two knocks as of right now are his lack of starting time so far (which he will gain more of this season) as well as his decision making at times being somewhat off, which is expected from his first year starting.  Overall, if he can pull off this type of season one more time in 2021, he will definitely be one of the better QB prospects to keep an eye out for.

Carson Strong ”“ Nevada 

Carson Strong is another prospect who could either make or break his draft stock in 2021, however is a very different type of player.  The 6’4” 215 pound QB has a great frame and is the model for a pocket passing QB with phenomenal arm strength.  He has one more season’s worth of experience than Willis, however does not have nearly the same amount of outside the pocket capabilities.  Despite this, his statline looks phenomenal from 2020:

• 9 games played
• 249 completions on 355 attempts (70.1% completion rate)
• 2,858 passing yards, 27 passing touchdowns, 4 interceptions
• 160.6 passer rating, 8.1 yards per attempt

Carson has issues at times with overthrowing his receivers, which he needs to work on and develop out of his game with time.  However if he continues on the path he had forged for himself in 2019 and 2020, he would definitely be a great developmental QB for Washington.

Phil Jurkovec ”“ Boston College

An outlier of sorts compared to the other two prospects I have listed, we have Phil Jurkovec out of BC.  This is somewhat of a projection as there has not been a BC quarterback drafted to the NFL for over a decade, but Jurkovec has impressed.  After spending his first two seasons in Notre Dame behind Ian Book, he decided to transfer to Boston to get a true chance at being a starter.  In his first season (2020), his statline looked as such:

• 10 games played
• 205 completions on 336 attempts (61.0% completion rate)
• 2,558 passing yards, 17 passing touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 138.7 passer rating
• 77 rush attempts for 150 yards and 3 touchdowns

One of the better parts about Jurkovec is he has a lot of the tangible parts of being a QB, at 6’5” 226 pounds he is exactly the right type of build for a pocket passer.  He should look to improve his overall accuracy as well as his production before getting a shot in next years draft.  

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By: Trevor Stores

The Washington Football Team is already projected to win the NFC East Division in 2021. If they aren’t picked to win, they are no less than the second team favored to claim the division. It’s hard to believe that around this same time in the off-season last year, The Football Team was slated to finish dead last in the NFC East. They silenced all naysayers and captured the division title, and did it with a sub .500 record of 7-9. 

Stronger Than Yesterday

This defense is the real deal, and they haven’t even reached their potential yet. Adding college standouts DE Chase Young and DE Montez Sweat in last year’s draft, did nothing but help solidify that front seven. According to lineups.com Washington had the fourth-best defense in the entire NFL last season. 

The fearsome defensive line was already stout with players like Jonathan Allen, DaRon Payne, Matt Ioannidis, and you can even throw Tim Settle in that mix. During the 2019 season, these four were already starting to make names for themselves, playing in a 3-4 defensive scheme. 2020 comes along with new defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, and he decided to switch things up. He brings success with running a 4-3 scheme, which is a system that is all about getting downhill and getting after the quarterback. 

Washington chose to bring in cornerbacks William Jackson III and Daryl Roberts during free agency to help lock down the secondary, and then shored up holes in key spots. Rookie Jamin Davis presumes to be the answer at the voided linebacker spot, and fellow rookie Benjamin St-Juste will provide major cornerback depth. 

For The Culture

The Washington Football Team made a postseason appearance in Rivera and Del Rio’s first season with the club. Ron Rivera accepted the head coaching position for The Football Team simply wanting to change the culture. The task itself wasn’t easy, but his disciplinary military background sure did help. 

Before last year’s division title, Washington hadn’t come close to thinking about playoff scenarios since their last NFC East championship in 2015. Losing records with losing mentalities, a few selfish egos, and a destructive work environment was contributing factors to the team’s downfall between 2015 and 2020. 

In an interview with NFL Network Alum Albert Breer, Head Coach Ron Rivera gave a prime example of his team’s change in mentality. “Really, the biggest thing we tried to do was get past the ”˜Oh, here we go again moments,” he said. “The score is 24-14 and you’re sitting there thinking about hanging on and not losing, instead of going out and kicking their ass.” Coach Rivera states he noticed the ”˜light come on for his squad as they finished the second half of the season 5-2 (started 2-7), with a four-game win streak included coming against the Bengals, Cowboys, 49ers, and the Steelers. “Guys, let’s not waste what we created last year, lets not waste that momentum putting ourselves in position.”

Oh Oh Fitzmagic, You Know

Never believe it’s not so.  Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has found a new home in the Nation’s Capital. Washington signed the former 7^th round pick this off-season, after spending his last two years in Miami. This will be Fitzpatrick’s 16^th year in the NFL, playing for his 9^th team. I know that alone doesn’t sound appealing, but don’t jump ship just yet. Hear me out. 

This man is a gunslinger. Washington struggled last season with getting the ball downfield, stretching out the defense. Fitzpatrick loves throwing the deep ball and taking chances. Sometimes those chances end up being interceptions, but at least he’ll be giving his wideouts more opportunities to make a play. A good example comes from last season. Fitzpatrick was literally having his head ripped off via a face mask, and he hangs in there launching and completing a 40-yard bomb. It was insane!

The Football Team took note of this and went out and got Fitzpatrick more weapons to tag along with WR Terry McLaurin and RB Antonio Gibson, adding WRs Curtis Samuel and Adam Humphries via free agency. Dyami Brown is a rookie receiver Washington drafted this year, bringing more speed and deep threat capabilities. 

Quick stat here to help sell you on the veteran quarterback. Ryan Fitzpatrick’s last 16 games he started, which i believe came in the two years combined in Miami, he completed 65% of his passes and tossed nearly 30 TDs. Washington played FOUR different QBs last year, COMBINING to complete 64.7% of their passes, and throwing only 16 touchdowns. It’s time to believe in magic.

Repeat Champs

With the defense having continuity and adding more playmakers than FIT; everybody remains all in on the newly established culture, and then having a fearless game-managing quarterback with SOLID weapons to rely on, The Washington Football Team will be back-to-back NFC East Division champions.

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