Ron Rivera says Ryan Fitzpatrick is the starting quarterback ‘right now’

After the Washington Football Team wrapped up mandatory minicamp last week, head coach Ron Rivera joined Ben Standig of The Athletic for a wide-ranging interview.

The biggest topic, of course, was Washington’s quarterback situation.

In the interview, Rivera spoke of two players he and the coaching staff were watching closely at quarterback. Those two players: Ryan Fitzpatrick and Taylor Heinicke.

This is no surprise as Washington signed Fitzpatrick in the offseason, presumably to start. Still, the team also signed Heinicke to a two-year extension after his outstanding performance in a playoff loss to Tampa Bay.

Rivera didn’t name Kyle Allen as a part of the mix to start.

So, who has the edge going into training camp next month? Here’s what Rivera had to say:

Rivera’s choice of words was interesting. He chose to say the job was Fitzpatrick’s “to have” and not to lose.

Then Rivera turned to Heinicke.

“The things that Taylor did last year, the momentum he built up as a player, you’ve got to give them equal opportunities and equal chance,” Rivera said.

He’s right. Heinicke doesn’t have a large body of work, but his performance in the playoff game opened the eyes of his teammates. And he’s worked hard this offseason to have an opportunity to be the starter.

There was a debate in the minicamp that he outplayed Fitzpatrick. Don’t pay too much attention to that. It was a minicamp in shorts and no pads. That’s not to discount Heinicke, who was impressive, but three days of minicamp will not determine the starter.

Rivera has said multiple times he regrets not having a full competition at QB in 2020. He’s certainly making sure he doesn’t repeat that mistake.