When Washington quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick suffered a hip injury in Week One, he was expected to miss six to eight weeks. That now appears overly optimistic.
It’s already been six weeks, and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that Fitzpatrick is still weeks away from returning.
Fitzpatrick won’t play today or next week against the Broncos. After that Washington is on its bye, and the earliest Fitzpatrick might return would be Week 10 against the Buccaneers.
But even that may be overly optimistic: Rapoport reports that while everyone is “hopeful” Fitzpatrick will return this season, it is not a certainty that he makes it back onto the field at all.
Taylor Heinicke is the starter in Fitzpatrick’s absence. It’s unknown whether Fitzpatrick will get the job back if healthy, and now it’s fair to ask whether Washington coach Ron rivera will even have to make that decision.
