What to expect from Ryan Fitzpatrick as Washington Football Team's no. 1 QB?

Now that Ryan Fitzpatrick is officially the starter for the Washington Football Team, we can project what the offense will look like when week 1 arrives.

Fitzpatrick is coming off one of the best seasons of his career with the Miami Dolphins, even though he was unable to finish it because of a positive COVID-19 test for week 17. Miami let him go because of their preference for young quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, which presented a big opportunity for the Football Team to fix their quarterback group as they brace for a new franchise quarterback in the coming years.

Here's what to expect from Ryan Fitzpatrick during week 1:

One important QB note: The Washington Football Team will start QB Ryan Fitzpatrick in Week 1 and going forward, I’m told. This has been obvious by the way the WFT preseason played out, though it was never announced. But it will be Fitz under center.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 29, 2021

Fitzpatrick will throw it deep

The biggest contrast between Fitzpatrick and the quarterbacks who started games for Washington last season is the willingness to throw it deep.

Quarterbacks like Alex Smith and Kyle Allen were always looking for a quick-strike, conservative offense with a low percentage of turnovers but not many explosive plays either. Dwayne Haskins loved deep passes in Ohio State, but he wasn't able to replicate this production in Washington because of the lack of skill players in the offense.

Fitzpatrick will see a much different situation once he steps on the field for the opening week. The offensive line is now reinforced with the arrivals of Samuel Cosmi and Charles Leno, plus the signing of Curtis Samuel in free agency presents another explosive option for Scott Turner's offense.

Most pass attempts without playing in a playoff game, NFL history1. Ryan Fitzpatrick - 5,0542. Norm Snead - 4,3533. Derek Carr - 3,8304. Archie Manning - 3,6425. Charley Johnson - 3,3926. Jeff Blake - 3,2417. Sam Bradford - 2,967

— Scott Kacsmar (@ScottKacsmar) August 27, 2021

Fitzpatrick has always been willing to throw the ball deep, and that was his biggest advantage in regards to a strange quarterback battle that happened over the second half of the 2020 season. Tua, unconfident and with a shoulder injury, couldn't moved the chains in the offense; Fitzpatrick did, even with a bad offensive line.

The prospect of Fitzpatrick finally making the Washington's offense progress is as exciting as it gets.

Washington Football Team Training Camp/

Washington has a real chance for a good season

With Fitzpatrick at the helm, the chances of the team winning the NFC East improved drastically when compared to last season. Yes, Washington actually won the division, but the team's offense was awful and the Dallas Cowboys would probably be in the playoffs if not for Dak Prescott's season-ending injury.

With one of the best defenses in the league, all Fitzpatrick has to do is move the offense enough times during a game. There's no need to be a high-flying offense like the Kansas City Chiefs or the Buffalo Bills, because their defense will stop opposing attacks most of the times. If Washington's offense is consistent enough, this team can make some noise in the postseason.