Commander Country

Commanders Backup QB Taylor Heinicke Must Prepare to Start

Heinicke started 15 games for Washington last season.

Jeremy Brener

The Washington Commanders made their intentions clear at the quarterback position when trading for Carson Wentz earlier this offseason.

The trade meant that last year's primary starter Taylor Heinicke would once again become the backup, but he knows how important that role can be.

As a backup quarterback, one has to be ready at a moment's notice to take over and be the team's leader. It's a moment Heinicke experienced first-hand during Week 1 last season against the Los Angeles Chargers.

With starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick injuring his hip, Heinicke took over the reins and started pretty much the rest of the season for the team. It was reminiscent of the season prior, when he took over for injured quarterback Alex Smith in a playoff game and became a fan favorite.

"It's nice to have people root for you," Heinicke said. "And I think it all pretty much came from that Tampa Bay [Buccaneers] pylon dive and that game. So, again, you know, I'm just trying to do the best out there and do what I can."

Whether it's as the starter or the second-stringer, Heinicke is simply looking to perform to the best of his abilities. And history shows that there will be a moment during the season where Heinicke's number is called.

Only 11 of the 32 first-string quarterbacks in the NFL started every game last season, meaning two-thirds of the league relied on a backup signal-caller to start at least one game last season.

And if Heinicke gets that call, he'll be ready.

Published
Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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