Could Jeremy Reaves be the WFT’s long term option at free safety?
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As the 2020 season ended, and draft nerds like myself turned our attention to the 2021 draft in late April, fans took a look at the players leaving and being added in free agency as well as the team’s strengths and weaknesses in the wake of the 2020 season. Ronald Darby was lost, but replaced with William Jackson III, who appears to be a net upgrade. Curtis Samuel (and Adam Humphries) absolutely improved the WR room. Kevin Pierre-Louis was lost without an in-kind replacement, weakening that group a bit. Based on those evaluations, an assessment of team “needs” is often informally developed, as a lens to consider during the draft.
Ron Rivera Presser: “Ryan Fitzpatrick will come in as QB1, but there will be a competition”
Ron Rivera speaks to the media
Ron Rivera spoke to the media today, and it will probably be the last time we hear from him until after the NFL draft which starts 4 weeks from today. Rivera said the Ryan Fitzpatrick will be the #1 QB going into training camp this year, but there will be a competition. He has talked about regretting naming Dwayne Haskins Jr. the starter without a real competition last year, and doesn’t want to make the same mistake this season.
Signing Ryan Fitzpatrick was absolutely the right move for the WFT
Back to the future
Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images
With one last check of the Twitter feed before bedtime last night, a significant portion of my offseason hopes for the Washington Football Team were realized:
Former Dolphins’ QB Ryan Fitzpatrick reached agreement with the Washington Football Team on a one-year deal worth $10 million that could grow to $12 million with incentives, per source. Fitzpatrick is expected to head to camp as the starter, with competition from Taylor Heinicke. Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 16, 2021
As I detailed in January, Fitzpatrick is exactly the right option for this team at this point in time, given the surrounding circumstances and Coach Rivera’s interest in building long-term, durable success:
Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera joins News4’s Leon Harris for a one-on-one chat covering a variety of topics, starting with the recent news that Coach Rivera is cancer-free. Rivera details some of the tough moments during that season-long battle. The two also discuss diversity among the Burgundy and Gold staff and what the NFL can do better when. football Sep 14, 2020
Heinicke Re-signed!
Per Ian Rapoport, Taylor Heinicke has been re-signed by Washington on a two year, $8.75 million extension. This move has a lot of subtext, most of it positive.
First of all, having watched the Bucs defense utterly dismantle some of the most electrifying offenses on the way to a Super Bowl victory, I have a new respect for what Washington was able to do. They arguably came closest out of all of Tampa s postseason opponents to beating them (as in, if not for an iffy penalty on Brandon Scherff, they were a two-point conversion away from tying the game late in the fourth), and a large part of that was down to Heinicke.