How the OC decision will impact Washington’s quarterback decision

February 10, 2023

by Alex Zeese

Two of the biggest questions for Washington this offseason are who will be calling the plays as offensive coordinator and who will be in the quarterback room with Sam Howell in 2023.  Yet these two decisions are tied together, intertwine like DNA.  The next offensive coordinator should have a major say in who the team brings in to play quarterback next year. No matter what’s said publicly about how much the team likes Howell, Washington will need at least one if not two more serious QB options going into the season. Given that the position is totally wide open, it’s my assumption that the team will likely bring in at least one veteran along with possibly a draft pick. And as I sat on my morning commute, half asleep, I thought I’d just look into some of the quarterbacks that the coordinator candidates have worked with in the past, as that may shed some light as to who they could bring with them if they come to OC in D.C. before I knew it, I had a few pages of notes and realized, it isn’t fitting in a tweet, so blog post it is.

Look, I am not saying these guys will be the starters; honestly, many of them should not be starters. But they are guys who know the coordinators and may understand what they want to do – maybe they end up starting, or maybe they are just here to be the backup and mentor to younger players.  One thing to also keep in mind is that Washington’s been mostly interviewing coaches with a background coaching running backs, so take that for what it’s worth.

Ken Zampese, & Ol’ Red
First let’s talk the in house candidate Ken Zampese, the current quarterback coach under Rivera for the last three seasons. He’s probably the safest pick and I think the most likely candidate because of that.  If Zampese is back I’m guessing that a sign that Sam Howell will get a real chance to start. But if it’s Ken’s job I don’t really know if that means Heinicke comes back.  Heinicke is/was a Scott Turner guy. We know how close the two are, though that does not mean Heinicke has no chance at returning. It would hurt to lose the cult of Heinicke.  It may be a good thing for Sam Howell. Maybe he’s not looking over his shoulder all the time.

Instead, what if Ken turns to an old player from back from when he was in Cincinnati, Andy Dalton?  Dalton is a free agent this year after spending time in New Orleans on a fairly cheap $4 million deal.  While his numbers weren’t great, with 2,871 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions, in a role helping to develop and mentor Howell, maybe starting part of the season before handing things over he could be a good option.

Next, up lets look at the other guys the team’s interviewed.

Pat Shurmur and a few guys who were promising prospects a decade or so ago
Pat Shurmur was one of the first interviews Ron had after the team fired Turner.  Shurmur was not in the NFL last season but has had a long career.  There’s two names that I’d say are tied to him, Teddy Bridgewater, who was with the Dolphins last year, and Nick Foles who Shurmur was with back when he was a coach on the Eagles staff.  Neither guy realistically would be a candidate to start next year, and should be here only as a backup.

Foles is 35 and was with the Colts last year as a backup, and is likely to be a free agent. He did play a little last year and it wasn’t good – he threw 4 picks and no touchdowns when he was out there as the quarterback. Bridgewater was signed to a 1 year deal with Miami and didn’t have a lot of production last year, playing in 5 games, throwing for 683 yards on 79 attempts, and was an even 4 touchdowns to 4 interceptions. The only advantage he may have over Foles is that he’s 4 years younger.  I’m not saying either guy is a great option to start: if they were to somehow best Sam Howell in camp, we should fear the worse.

Thomas Brown, young guys don’t have much history to lean on
Thomas Brown is the Rams assistant. When his interview was announced we saw a bit of fan excitement over a guy from the McVay coaching tree. When it comes to his quarterback ties, the most obvious name that comes to mind is Baker Mayfield, who’s been with the Rams this year. Mayfield has had some struggles and is due to be a free agent but wouldn’t be terrible option in a backup/plan B type role for a year. The only other quarterback to whome Brown would have some real ties is Jared Goff. Goff is in an “out” year with the Lions and is due to make over $30 million and has a $10 million dollar dead cap hit. Part of the reason he was traded to Detroit in the first place was due to his terrible contract from the Rams.  The question is whether Detroit cut him or try and restructure the deal.

Anthony Lynn, 49ers ties but I’m guessing he goes with a Hokie 
When it comes to Anthony Lynn the name that obviously pops in my head would be Tyrod Taylor, who was with him in two previous stops both with the Buffalo Bills and with the Chargers.  Taylor was with the Giants last year, though for a while after that medical mistake it looked like his career may have been over in 2020 after a doctor accidentally punctured Taylor’s lung while administering a painkiller injection prior to the game.  With Lynn now also having spent time in San Fransisco, there’s no shortage of quarterbacks in the Bay. If anything it seems there’s a glut of them and most likely one or two will be leaving the 49ers for a better chance to start in 2023. Odds are Jimmy Garoppolo will be out, but the sports talking heads have made it sound like Lance could be on the trade block as well depending on what happens with Brock Purdy’s injury.

Eric Studesville, I’m sorry to do this to you all
Lastly let’s talk about Eric Studesville, who’s had a long few years with the Dolphins going back to 2017.  He’s worked with a slew of quarterbacks over that time, including Ryan Tannehill, Brock Osweiler, and Josh Rosen to name a few. That’s a group that you probably don’t want to see here in Washington.  The only guy who he’s worked with that I’d even consider an option would be Jacoby Brissett, who’s now a free agent after his season with the Browns where he was filling in for creepy towel boy.

Eric Bieniemy, a boy can dream right?
There is one big name they are supposedly waiting on. Eric Bieniemy, who’s busy right now.  I don’t know why Eric Bieniemy would want to come here – it’s like going from driving a mustang to a unicycle with 2 flat tires. But there’s one name that comes to my mind, the most career backup player of all career backup players Chase Daniel, who was with Bieniemy the first few years he was in Kansas City.

Yes Chase Daniel, who’s career started in Washington all the way back in 2009. Who’s had a 14 year career in the NFL, averaging 13 completions a season.

That wasn’t a short summary, was it? Alot of names, names you probably don’t love, but names you will likely hear once the off season starts. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.