Ron Rivera says Washington is ‘constantly’ looking for franchise QB as offense continues to struggle

Decades have passed since the Washington Football Team had a player it could call the franchise quarterback. Washington thought it had those players in the past (Jason Campbell, Robert Griffin III, and Kirk Cousins come to mind), yet the franchise is still searching for that generational player who can make the organization a Super Bowl contender. 

As Washington is in the midst of a 2-5 start with a struggling offense, head coach Ron Rivera is aware that a franchise quarterback most likely isn’t on his roster. He’s still searching for one, much like Washington has been since Daniel Snyder became the owner in 1999.

“Constantly. That’s something you always talk about,” Rivera said on 106.7 The Fan on Tuesday. “Until you get one, you’re always going to be looking — and you’re wondering if anyone on the current roster is capable of developing. Is there a guy that’s going to be out there in free agency. Is there a guy in the draft we can do something for? 

“We’re always talking about it. I’ll give you a little hint right now. I get a weekly update on the college quarterbacks and I go through it. We’re constantly looking, and not just at the quarterback position but other positions that are considered very valuable.”

Rivera knows the importance of a franchise quarterback, having Cam Newton through his entire tenure in Carolina. Newton helped the Panthers reach Super Bowl 50 in 2015 and won NFL MVP that same season. Even if that franchise quarterback isn’t on the roster now, that won’t hold Rivera back from building a roster around whoever takes the snaps. 

“If we couldn’t get the franchise quarterback, what we’ll try to do is put playmakers around him and guys around that we believe can protect him. That way when we feel we have found our guy, he’ll be in the right situation to come into. If we can continue to put pieces in place, then you go out and grab your quarterback.”

Washington is ranked 22nd in pass yards per game (230.6) and 25th in quarterback rating (86.0). No. 2 quarterback Taylor Heinicke has completed 64.3% of his passes for 1,658 yards with 10 touchdowns to seven interceptions (86.8 rating). Heinicke is 26th in completion percentage, 19th in touchdown percentage (4.3), 23rd in yards per attempt (7.1), and 24th in quarterback rating — numbers on par for a good backup quarterback. 

Clearly Washington didn’t expect Heinicke to play a large sample size this season, but Ryan Fitzpatrick is still out with a hip injury. Fitzpatrick is still weeks away from a return, unfortunate for Washington since he was signed to be the starting quarterback for this year. 

Washington clearly has more questions than answers at quarterback past the 2021 season, something Rivera will have to address if the club lands a high draft pick by failing to turn the season around. 

Rivera has a plan at least, making sure Washington is ready to pounce when that franchise quarterback becomes available.