Ryan Fitzpatrick on Crutches; When Will Washington QB Return?
The arrival of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and wide receivers Curtis Samuel and Adam Humphries in the offseason was supposed to help upgrade the Washington Football Team offense in the 2021 NFL Season.
Ideally, the new trio of veterans would join forces with running back Antonio Gibson, wide receiver Terry McLaurin, and tight end Logan Thomas, to develop an offense that could put up enough points to counter one of the league's best defenses.
Of course, none of that has gone to plan. The only player listed there who hasn't been on the injury report is Adam Humphries, and the defense is trending up towards average after two improved, but still not great, performances.
Each week is a chance to start turning the ship around of course, but the effort needs fuel.
On a weekly basis, the WFT efforts towards getting better only seem to suffer another setback, and it started with the loss of Fitzpatrick on the team's second offensive possession of the year.
While backup-turned-starter Taylor Heinicke has attracted some excitement this season, he's far from the consistent presence the team was hoping to get with their injured journeyman veteran.
And it might be a while still that they'll not have the option of turning back to Fitzpatrick, as the quarterback is apparently still walking on crutches around the team facility, and is weeks - not days - from being able to make his return to the practice field.
"The 38-year-old is still weeks away from returning, sources say," reported NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "Leaving a WFT team that has lost two in a row and three of its last four in the hands of backup Taylor Heinicke for the foreseeable future. Fitzpatrick is still on crutches around the facility, another sign that his comeback is not close."
The report also went on to state Fitzpatrick has an MRI as early as next week, meaning that would be the soonest he could be cleared to restart football activities. Again, that seems unlikely at this point.
Following their Week 7 contest against the Green Bay Packers, the Washington Football Team has a game against the Denver Broncos scheduled before entering their bye week.
Bye weeks are typically looked at as prime opportunities for teams to get healthy, and while many are in similar circumstances, there's no arguing the need for this WFT squad to do just that.
