After being removed from the game after a 2nd quarter hit Sunday, Washington Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will be on the shelf for longer than the team had initially hoped. The soon to be 39 year old QB got up gingerly after taking a hard hit against the Chargers and was visibly uncomfortable on the sidelines before officially being ruled out.
An MRI Monday revealed that the signal caller suffered a right hip subluxation and was subsequently placed on injured reserve by the team. While the team has yet to offer an official recovery timeline, the IR stint means he will miss at least the next three games. Earlier this afternoon, Adam Schefter reported that sources indicated that he may be on the shelf for longer than that:
In his absence Taylor Heinicke did his best to guide Washington to a victory, but ultimately fell just short, losing 20-16. For now, Heinicke is the presumptive starter in DC with Kyle Allen being elevated to a backup role. In a corresponding move Washington signed former Vanderbilt QB Kyle Shurmur to their practice squad.
For the moment Washington is claiming they’re satisfied with their in-house options to replace Fitzpatrick. However that hasn’t stopped the rumour mill from grinding away in the aftermath of Sunday’s game. Speculators are already planting the seeds for a Ron Rivera/Cam Newton reunion in Washington, though nothing has been substantiated as of yet.
Rivera was the Panthers head coach from 2011-2019, which coincided with Newton’s 2015 MVP award and the team’s trip to the Super Bowl. While there’s certainly familiarity between the two, Newton’s on field performances in New England the past two years haven’t exactly inspired front offices around the league to line up for his services.
For now Heinicke will get the first team reps as Washington prepares to host the Giants in an NFC East showdown in Week 2.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner