Will Ryan Fitzpatrick be the starting quarterback for the Washington Football Team in Week 1?

The Washington Football Team made the playoffs last season, but the offense was still a mess.

Running through a combination of Dwayne Haskins, Kyle Allen and Alex Smith throughout the regular season, Washington failed to deliver consistent offensive play, and ended up with one of the worst passing offenses in the league. Taylor Heinicke, the 4th-string quarterback, started for the team in the 2020 playoffs and put up a good fight, but it was still too early to trust the starting job on him.

The team won the NFC East, but only because every team in the division was really poor. In fact, Washington won the division with a negative record, 7-9.

The playoff appearance was kind of a farce and Washington knew it. There were so many holes on the roster that it was impossible to believe they were close to a Super Bowl. They also knew they had to strengthen their quarterback position and the draft wouldn't be the way to do so, so the team played safe and signed veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick in free agency.

Even though Taylor Heinicke left a good impression in the playoffs, there was no doubt about who was going to start for Washington in week 1. There had also been no official announcement before, but the decision is now official.

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 start for the Washington Football Team in week 1

It turns out that Ryan Fitzpatrick will be the starter quarterback for the Washington Football Team in week 1.

Fitzpatrick is coming from a great season with the Miami Dolphins, where he almost reached the playoffs for the first time in his career. Even though the veteran lost the starting position to Tua Tagovailoa midseason, that wasn't because he wasn't playing well, but because Miami wanted to see the rookie on the field as soon as he was healthy.

Los Angeles Rams v Miami Dolphins

Fitzpatrick will play with a talented young offensive core, with Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel and Antonio Gibson making up for a strong trio of skill players. The offensive line has also been reinforced since last season, and let's not forget that Washington has one of the best defenses in the entire NFL.

There will not be a lot of pressure to put up points on the board, as the defense is elite and will keep the opponent's score low for most games. Fitzpatrick needs to be consistent with the ball and avoid turnovers. If he does so, then Washington will be a threat in the NFC East, and perhaps in the whole conference.

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