Ron Rivera, the Washington Commanders' coach, said Wednesday that the team would start a new quarterback against the Dallas Cowboys.
According to multiple sources, the Commanders were leaning towards starting Heinicke and playing in relief until late Wednesday morning. The man will not be active.
Washington wants to see more of the quarterback who is the only one on the active roster. Rivera said that after talking to other coaches and team leaders he decided to go with the other one.
Rivera said that they were interested in seeing what Sam could do in the league. It's going to be a good chance for him to show us. Sam will not be judged based on one game. We have the chance to see how he prepares.
Rivera said that Howell told him that he was ready to roll.
The Commanders didn't make the playoffs last week. If the Dallas Cowboys win and the Philadelphia Eagles lose, Dallas can still win the division.
Since it last won the Super Bowl, Washington has started 33 quarterbacks. The Commanders will finish with a non-winning season because he's the eighth different starter in three years.
He will not be in the game with Washington. There is no guaranteed money left on his contract. He will be inactive on Sunday due to the fact that he has $4 million guaranteed for injury. The Commanders could cut him without counting towards their salary cap.
Washington traded two third-round picks to Indianapolis and a second-round pick to the Colts in order to get Wentz. A $28 million cap hit was absorbed by the Commanders.
After throwing seven touchdown passes in Washington's first two games, he only threw four in the next five. The Commanders scored 55 points in the first two games, but only 57 the rest of the way.
Washington wants to see the fifth-round pick who hasn't played yet. He was the backup for seven games. In three seasons as a starter at North Carolina, he threw for 10,283 yards and 92 touchdown.
When he was the primary backup, Rivera said they saw progress from him.
Some guys I talked to today said he was ready for this opportunity. The way people felt based on what we saw was one of the reasons.
Heinicke will be standing by.
Heinicke started nine games in place of the injured Wentz. Washington went5-5 in those games Washington has gone 12-11-1 when Heinicke starts and 2-7 when he doesn't.
The offense hadn't scored more than 20 points in seven of the previous eight games. The Commanders struggled in the red zone, ranking 13th in total yards.
Washington had considered starting Heinicke because of the defense it faced. The Cowboys are ranked tenth in passing yards allowed, third in sacks and sixth in intercepts. Heinicke would have given him a chance to see how Dallas was playing. Heinicke is a free agent after the season, so it could have been his last start for Washington.
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