'The Guy'? Commanders Coach Ron Rivera Opens Up on QB Taylor Heinicke

The Washington Commanders may have a new name, logo, and uniform, but there's a very familiar question at the top of everyone's minds.

Who will quarterback the team?

Offensive coordinator Scott Turner said 2021 starter, post-injury to Ryan Fitzpatrick, Taylor Heinicke was going to be involved one way or another at the end of this latest season.

But the question is whether or not Heinicke can truly compete to remain the starting quarterback in 2022.

The answer, according to head coach Ron Rivera, lies in the answers to some other questions.

"The key is, as we go through this process, does he ascend?'' Rivera said on The Jim Rome Show when asked about Heinicke's ability to lead the team. "Does he take the next step? Right now, he played solid football for us, he got us into position where we had a chance to break through ... He's a guy we did win some football games with."

If you felt a 'but' coming, it's because there was one.

While Rome and Rivera shared the sentiment most of us do, that Heinicke is a guy worth cheering for, the head coach also plainly admitted the truth of the organization.

"He's worked hard," Rivera said. "He does grind. We know that, we love that about him, his teammates love him, but we've gotta find 'the' guy."

There are many potential outcomes to the Commanders' quarterback search in the 2022 offseason.

Trades, free agents, NFL Draft prospects, they're all on the table for Rivera's team.

But so is Heinicke. And regardless of who Washington adds to the roster, the quarterback with one year of starting experience to lean on now, will be in the mix.

Whether he rises to the challenge, is something we'll have to wait and see about, and his head coach is looking forward to learning the results.