Washington Football Team has chance to make noise in NFC
After winning the NFC East last year with a 7-9 mark, the Washington Football Team could be dangerous in 2021.
The Washington Football Team as a contender? There’s something new.
For the better part of the last 25 years, Washington has been a doormat. Yes, the occasional playoff berth or the rise of Robert Griffin III provided hope. However, it’s been a dark path in the nation’s capital.
Suddenly, though, the clouds over this franchise could be parting. Washington hired head coach Ron Rivera last year, a respected man in league circles who beat cancer and then navigated a limited roster to a division title.
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This year, the Football Team added more talent in free agency, signing receiver Curtis Samuel and corner William Jackson III to multi-year deals. Factoring in a loaded front seven starring four first-round picks including Montez Sweat, Da’Ron Payne, Chase Young and Jonathan Allen, Washington could field one of the league’s best defenses.
The question is offensively, where the weaponry is exciting but the quarterback is a huge question. After landing Samuel to pair with third-year star Terry McLaurin and running back Antonio Gibson, Washington should move the ball. But another free-agent signing, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, is the linchpin. Can Fitzpatrick lead the Football Team to a playoff berth — something he’s never done in a 16-year career? Or will he falter amid turnovers?
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For his part, Fitzpatrick is excited to get another opportunity as a starter, something of a rarity for the veteran. He talked about. it on the ESPN Daily Podcast, per NFL.com:
“I signed to be the starter in Houston, I signed to be the starter in Miami, so this is now the third team that I’ve signed to come in and be the starter for. I just feel like the way that I’m playing the last four years, kind of the progression of my career, it doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense that 17 years in, physically, I feel great, mentally, emotionally, I’m in the right spot. I’m set up for success this year and really looking forward to it.”
Should Fitzpatrick even give Washington adequate quarterback play, it deserves to be the favorite in a division with the rebuilding Philadelphia Eagles, the middling New York Giants and the defenseless Dallas Cowboys.
And if Washington gets to the postseason with that pass rush and those weapons, look out.
