QB Review: Fitzpatrick & Washington On OTA Day 1
Day 1 of OTA’s is in the books for the Washington Football Team and no surprise, Ryan Fitzpatrick is the clear-cut QB1.
Washington media got its first on-field look on Tuesday at free-agent signee and the rest of the WFT roster (minus a couple of defensive stars) in Burgundy and Gold. Fitzpatrick obviously the most notable QB of those on the roster.
The 37-year-old came away pleased with at least one aspect of the roster.
“I was really impressed today, and I think as we get going here, the consistency is something that is big in this game and something that we'll look for out of that [wide receiver] group,” Fitzpatrick said.
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Kyle Allen was seen getting back into form after a season-ending ankle injury. NFC Wild Card starter, Taylor Heinicke drew attention by throwing a 50-plus yard bomb to rookie wide receiver Dyami Brown.
Fitzpatrick took first-team reps while Heinicke took the second-unit stuff. Allen added in some throws here and there.
Fitzpatrick has the chance to test his arm with new teammates in wide receiver Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, and Cam Sims. The former Dolphins part-time starter threw a perfect shoulder fade to Sims — a toss head coach Ron Rivera raved over as practice commenced.
“It was good to see. He is a very veteran guy," Rivera said. "He picks things up very quickly and he handled himself very nicely. I think the guys have already started to draw towards him in terms of being comfortable and understanding how he does things and how it fits our structure.
"The teammates around him gather around him and assimilate to his style as well.”
Fitzpatrick also threw for the first time to newly-acquired Washington tight end Sammis Reyes. At 6-foot-7, it's hard to miss the Chilean product, but it's easy to see why he could be the breakout star of the summer.
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"Just in terms of his frame and how muscular he is. We have not had a ton of time to talk or to do a lot of work on the field with him, but he is definitely a guy that you see and take note of," Fitzpatrick said. "There are not a whole lot of human beings on earth that look like that.”
Heinicke did throw one of the highlight passes Tuesday, but he ended up with another marquee pass to show the defensive upside. During team drills, one ball was tipped and then stolen by fifth-round safety Darrick Forrest.
Rivera spoke of hustle, prasing Forrest and the younger names for living up to the standards set in Washington from a season ago.
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"I was happy about some of the veteran guys telling some of the young guys, ‘Hey, we don’t walk around here. We hustle to here and we hustle to there,'" Rivera said. I" thought that was a pretty cool comment from one of our senior defensive guys. I think the guys are understanding that if you want to play fast you have to practice fast. This is as good of a simulation as you can get."
It is still May and time will tell what WFT's status is entering the season. For now, no mistakes should be considered a big one. Nor should any successes made from veterans looking to make the rosters or rookies standing out.
After one practice, Fitzpatrick seems to be fitting in and taking charge is the right way as the next general of the offense in D.C.
Said Fitzpatrick: "There is this beautiful exuberance around the building. You have guys out there barking and making noise. I think it is a lot of fun to get into competitive environments and start to grow as a unit.”
CONTINUE READING : OTA Battles To Watch - Offense
