Washington Football Team: Five players to watch in 2020 Wild Card round

No. 1 – Alex Smith or Taylor Heinicke

Both of these things can be true: Alex Smith deserves Comeback Player of the Year. Alex Smith also has serious limitations that might prevent him from winning against the Buccaneers.

Smith’s leg injury has clearly sapped a bit of his mobility, and he’s still getting his full confidence back in the pocket. Couple this with a calf injury that Smith suffered recently, and the veteran quarterback is clearly less than one-hundred percent. As a leader, as a field general, and as an emotional catalyst, Smith helps Washington win. But his actual play leaves something to be desired.

Ron Rivera said earlier in the week that he may rotate quarterbacks, due to Smith’s lingering injury. This opens the door for Taylor Heinicke to make an impact. That may not sound good on the surface, but Heinicke played well in relief against the Panthers, and he’s also a very good athlete for the quarterback position.

With a 4.6 40-yard dash and a 35-inch vertical, Heinicke has the athletic traits necessary to not only withstand pressure, but also make plays on the run. And as we saw against Carolina, he’s a fairly smart thrower as well, who might have grown since taking reps alongside Smith in practice.

Whatever the case, the Washington Football Team has to be ready to do whatever’s necessary to win at the quarterback position, even if that means taking snaps from the leader in favor of the player with more physical potential. It’s a situation that will be very much worth watching, regardless of the outcome.