It was never a mystery who the Washington Commanders would turn to when it was confirmed that starting quarterback Carson Wentz would miss 4-6 weeks with a fractured finger on his throwing hand.
On Tuesday, Washington head coach Ron Rivera confirmed that Taylor Heinicke would be back under center for the Commanders in Week 7 against the Green Bay Packers.
“Taylor [Heinicke] will start,” Rivera said. “He’ll be backed up by Sam [Howell].”
Rivera was then asked if Heinicke could provide a spark to the struggling offense.
“I think because of the familiarity and the things that we do, it’ll be an easy transition for us,” Rivera said. “I think with Taylor too, there is always that ability to run the ball. He’s got a little bit of that in him, so it’ll be interesting. The things that we’ll do certainly will match his skill set.”
Heinicke started 15 games for Washington in 2021, winning seven games. He completed 65% of his passes for 3,419 yards with 20 touchdowns and 15 touchdowns. He also rushed for over 300 yards.
Something to remember with Heinicke, he didn’t have a healthy Curtis Samuel last season and tight end Logan Thomas missed much of the season. He was also without running back J.D. McKissic for stretches. In addition to having those three back, along with Terry McLaurin and Antonio Gibson, Heinicke will now have rookies Jahan Dotson, Brian Robinson Jr. and Cole Turner.
