Possible reunion with fan favorite could solve hidden Commanders issue

Before Jayden Daniels gave us the Hail Mary, there was another quarterback who delivered some unforgettable moments. But could the Washington Commanders bring him back?

The dive for the pylon, the eyes closed pass to Terry McLaurin, and even going toe-to-toe with Tom Brady. That quarterback was none other than Taylor Heinicke, who just happens to find himself a free agent after being cut by the Los Angeles Chargers.

With Amari Cooper back on the Las Vegas Raiders, Adam Thielen traded back to the Minnesota Vikings, Keenan Allen re-signing with the Chargers, and Brandin Cooks back on the New Orleans Saints, it only feels right for Washington to reunite with Heinicke.

Commanders should consider adding Taylor Heinicke as their QB3

The Commanders' keeping Josh Johnson as a third quarterback on the 53-man roster hints that Marcus Mariota may not yet be healthy enough to back up Daniels. Based on how the journeyman performed in the preseason, that's a problem.

If anyone but Daniels is starting games for Washington, let alone the QB3, the team has bigger issues. Still, Heinicke offers much more versatility and swagger than Johnson ever could.

Not only is Johnson 38 years old, but throughout his time in the league, he has only gone 1-8 as a starter. Compare that to Heinicke, who's gone 13-15-1. He also has a better career passer rating (84.1 vs. 70.7), a better touchdown to interception ratio (1.39:1 vs. 0.81:1), and more rushing yards per attempt (5.3 vs. 5.2).

Throughout McLaurin's career, he has had to play with 13 different starting quarterbacks. The ones he performed the best with were Heinicke and Daniels.

While Daniels has only one full season with McLaurin, making the sample size limited, the receiver actually averaged more receptions (5.0 vs. 4.8) and more yards (69.1 vs. 64.5) per game with Heinicke under center.

Now, statistics can always be skewed to make an argument, but the players respected Heinicke when he was in D.C. Former running back J.D. McKissic referred to him as "baby Russell Wilson."

After the wild-card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, McLaurin said, "I'll take No. 4 on my team any day of the week, twice on Sunday," adding that the signal-caller plays with no fear and gives his weapons a chance to make plays.

With both Johnson and Sam Hartman looking ineffective throughout the preseason, bringing in Heinicke as QB3 would not only make football sense but would excite the fanbase.

With every game-winning drive (five during his time in D.C.), fourth-down escape, and improbable throw, Heinicke brought Washington the swagger it desperately needed at a time when fans had little else to cheer for.

Now, coming off a season where the team was one win away from the Super Bowl, there's no better time for a reunion between Heinicke and the Commanders.

Just don't bet on it.

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