Commanders LISTEN: Where's Taylor Heinicke on NFL.com QB Index?

Taylor Heinicke was one of three players to start at quarterback here in 2021, but was he the best?

Since the injury to Alex Smith, Washington has been searching for a bona fide week-in-and-week-out starting quarterback.

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Josh Johnson, Colt McCoy, Mark Sanchez, Case Keenum, Dwayne Haskins, Kyle Allen, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Taylor Heinicke and Garrett Gilbert have all started at least one game for Washington since 2018.

After the season-ending and career-threatening injury in Week 1 to starter Ryan Fitzpatrick, Heinicke fell into 15 starts last season. And if nothing else, he's shown tremendous grit and resiliency.

It's been an up-and-down year for Heinicke and in 2021, he may have given an indication that although he's not the quarterback of the future in Washington, he's certainly capable of wins and maybe even a playoff run if his team is healthy.

This week, NFL.com did its final quarterback index of the 2021 season, ranking every quarterback who started at least one game last season.

Heinicke came in at No. 27:

Heinicke probably won’t get another season with 15 starts. Then again, I never would have guessed Heinicke’s spiritual father, Ryan Fitzpatrick, would have three seasons as a primary starter after turning 33. Like Fitzpatrick, Heinicke’s self-belief creates a lot of big plays for both his team and the opposition.

It may prove to be that Heinicke is a career backup in the NFL, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Just ask Jason Garrett, Hugh Millen, Chase Daniel, and Frank Reich.

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As mentioned, Fitzpatrick went down in Week 1 but since he started that game, he appears on the list at No. 59:

Fitzpatrick suffered a life-changing hip injury after throwing just six passes in Washington. It’s a huge bummer if his otherwise joyous career ends this way, although it hasn’t changed him too much. Nine teams and 17 seasons after breaking in as a seventh-round pick under Mike Martz in St. Louis, Fitzmagic left a legacy unlike any other quarterback of his generation.

Also starting one game for Washington in 2021, due to a COVID outbreak that included both Heinicke and Allen, was Garrett Gilbert, who appears just ahead of Fitzpatrick at No. 56:

For the second straight year, Gilbert looked better than expected in an emergency start that he had little chance of winning.

The future for the Commanders at quarterback is still a huge question as coach Ron Rivera continues to weigh options that include either a trade, free agency or the NFL Draft.