Commanders QB Taylor Heinicke's 'crazy ride' takes another turn against his former team

Taylor Heinicke was the backup quarterback for the XFL's St. Louis Battlehawks when the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the league and, seemingly, his last shot at playing football for a living.

Heinicke, signed by the Vikings out of Old Dominion as an undrafted free agent in 2015, was ready to move on with his life and find other ways to stick in football. He dialed up Commanders offensive coordinator Scott Turner, who was Heinicke's quarterbacks coach during his two seasons in Minnesota.

"I remember calling Scott Turner and asking him if there were any coaching spots open in Washington," Heinicke told Twin Cities reporters on a conference call Thursday. "He told me don't give up just yet, you never know."

He signed with Washington in December 2020, and eight months after that call to Turner, Heinicke started an NFC wild-card playoff game for the Commanders against the eventual Super Bowl-champion Buccaneers when then-starter Alex Smith was ruled out due to injury. Heinicke's performance in the loss, including a diving touchdown run to pull within 18-16 of Tom Brady in the third quarter, put him on the map.

"It's been a crazy ride," Heinicke said.

On Sunday at FedEx Field, he'll start his 18th game for the Commanders — and his first against the Vikings — riding a three-game win streak, the last two started by Heinicke for the injured Carson Wentz.

He pointed back to that Tampa playoff game on Thursday. "I was kind of out of football and, you know, I got that opportunity," he said. "I just kind of laid it all out on the field. I've kind of just played that way ever since. You just never know when your last play, last game is going to be."

Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell wasn't on the Vikings staff with Heinicke, but he's familiar with the passer's elusive game. Donatell's Broncos beat Heinicke's Commanders 17-10 last season when Heinicke threw for 270 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

"He's a quality player," Donatell said. "He plays with great confidence, numerous times he's given his team a spark. You can look on tape and you can see they believe in him and they trust him."

Heinicke sparked the Commanders with a game-winning drive last Sunday against the Colts. After a 33-yard lob to receiver Terry McLaurin, Heinicke capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run for a 17-16 win.

"The mobility, the ability to duck under the rush like that really gives him the opportunity to extend the plays," Commanders head coach Ron Rivera told Washington reporters. "Getting his eyes downfield, he's able to find the guys and dump the ball off."

Seven years and five teams after he was signed by the Vikings, Heinicke credits former Vikings backup Shaun Hill for keeping his spirits up as he struggled to transition from a shotgun, air-raid offense at Old Dominion to an under-center, pro-style offense led by running back Adrian Peterson and then-coordinator Norv Turner.

Heinicke's chances to stick in Minnesota were undercut by a summer accident in which he was locked out of an apartment and kicked in a glass pane of a door. He reported to 2016 training camp on a rolling scooter with a severed tendon in his left ankle.

"That was one of the dumbest mistakes I've ever made," Heinicke said. "It was definitely a setback, you know. I feel like maybe if that didn't happen and then Teddy [Bridgewater] blows out his knee, I might've got a chance that year and maybe not have traded for Sam Bradford, who knows?"

Heinicke was released by the Vikings after 2017 training camp, but his "crazy" NFL ride continues against his former team.

"Hopefully go out there on Sunday and put on a show," Heinicke said, "and get a win."