What’s there to say at this point? On Thursday night, the Packers are kicking of Week 2 action in the NFL by taking on the Washington Commanders, who—despite finally finding a franchise quarterback in Jayden Daniels—have seen a decent number of starting QBs duck under center over the past 20 seasons.
Since we’ve done this for 11 other teams at this point and people seem to enjoy it, we figured we’d bypass the usual Wisconsin sports coverage this week in favor of ranking the whopping TWENTY-TWO different starting quarterbacks Washington has fielded since the 2005 season. Go Pack Go!
22. Ryan Fitzpatrick
During what would be his final NFL season, “Fitzmagic” won the starting job with the then-Washington Commanders at the outset of the 2021 season. He was injured in the second quarter of Week 1 and missed the remainder of the season, ultimately retiring before the 2022 season. In his only abbreviated regular season game with Washington, Fitzpatrick managed just 13 yards on three completions. To cap things off, Washington lost the game.
21. John Beck
Former Dolphins second-rounder John Beck played in a total of four regular season games with Washington in 2011. During that span, he threw two touchdowns, four interceptions, and managed 858 passing yards. Cementing Beck’s No. 21 ranking is his team’s 0-3 record during games he started.
20. Garrett Gilbert
When Taylor Heinicke tested positive for COVID in 2021, Garrett Gilbert started one game in his (a backup in his own right’s) absence. During that start—Gilbert’s second and last NFL start—he has 20 completions on 38 attempts good for 194 yards in a losing effort.
19. Mark Sanchez
The fourth consecutive quarterback on this list whose career ended in the capital city, Mark Sanchez played in two games with Washington in 2018 (starting one of them). In total, he had 135 passing yards, three touchdowns, three interceptions, zero butt fumbles, and a 0-1 record during his time wearing maroon and white.
18. Josh Johnson
As I’m writing this I’m just now learning Josh Johnson is currently the third string quarterback for Washington. Wow. News to me! Well, seven seasons ago, Johnson wasn’t so hot during his time under center with the very same franchise. In that first stint, Johnson had a 1-3 record with 590 yards passing, three TDs, and four interceptions. Not great, BUT the story isn’t necessarily over.
17. Colt McCoy
Texas standout Colt McCoy had a journeyman QB career, but he spent the majority of his NFL tenure in the District. During his five seasons in Washington, McCoy was primarily a backup, but he appeared in 12 total games (including seven starts). Overall, he threw for 1,679 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. His record as a starter was 1-6.
16. Sam Howell
Sam Howell, Washington’s 5th round pick in 2022, had a pretty even career during his two seasons with the team. Between one game/start in ’22 and a full season as the starter in 2023, Howell had 4,139 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions. Okay as that seems, his 5-13 record as a starter doesn’t help matters.
15. Carson Wentz
Carson Wentz, as featured prominently in our previous Eagles starting quarterback list, was the primary starter when the Birds won the Lombardi trophy in the 2017 season. Philadelphia eventually moved on from Wentz, which led the former first rounder to bounce around the league. During his one-season stop with Washington in 2022, Wentz went 2-5 in games he started, with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
14. Donovan McNabb
Speaking of ex-Eagles greats, Donovan McNabb also spent a season with Washington after his tenure in the City of Brotherly Love. In a rare down year, the future Hall Of Famer posted a 5-8 record as a starter with 3,377 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions in his one and only season with Washington in 2010.
13. Kyle Allen
Current Detroit Lions backup quarterback Kyle Allen ducked under center for Washington for parts of the 2020 and 2021 seasons. During that six-game span (four starts), Allen had 730 passing yards and five touchdowns, compared to just one interception.
12. Dwayne Haskins
Ohio State standout Dwayne Haskins played just two partial seasons with Washington. During that span, he threw for 2,804 yards with 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Haskins also went 3-10 as a starter.
11. Todd Collins
Grizzled veteran Todd Collins eventually found his way to D.C., where he went 3-0 in the regular season with five touchdowns and zero interceptions. In the playoffs, sadly, Collins threw his first two interceptions since 1997, both of which were returned for touchdowns.
10. Case Keenum
Former Vikings one-season wonder and current Bears No. 3 quarterback Case Keenum also had a stop in Washington in 2019. Despite having a 1-7 record as a starter, Keenum had 11 touchdowns compared to just five interceptions spread over eight pretty efficient games. It’s a team sport!
9. Patrick Ramsey
With the last pick in the first round of the 2002 draft, Washington selected Patrick Ramsey from Tulane. During 33 games spread over four seasons, Ramsey threw for 5,649 yards with 34 touchdowns and 29 interceptions.
8. Rex Grossman
Former Bears first round pick Rex Grossman (and, yeah, mostly the defense and special teams) led Chicago to a Super Bowl appearance. Following that loss (lol), he eventually ended his career in Washington from 2010-2011. During those last two seasons, Grossman went 6-10 as a starter and threw for a total of 4,035 yards with 23 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.
7. Taylor Heinicke
Scrappy perennial backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke did something not many Washington QBs could claim: posted a winning record as a starter. Even beyond his 12-11-1 record at the helm, Taylor had 33 TDs (plus two rushing scores), compared to 21 picks and nearly 5,500 passing yards.
6. Alex Smith
After going 6-4 as Washington’s starter for much 2018, former first overall picked Alex Smith suffered an injury and a subsequent infection that almost resulted in the loss of his leg. Against all odds, he returned in 2021 to lead Washington to a 5-1 record. In total, Smith posted a 11-5 record with 16 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and close to 4,000 passing yards in his (partial) two-season tenure with Washington.
5. Mark Brunell
Who was the last Washington quarterback to win a playoff game before Jayden Daniels? Mark Brunell! The former Packers backup and best Jacksonville Jags quarterback ever was in D.C. from 2004-2006. Along the way in Washington, Brunell went 15-18 as a starter. However, despite the poor record, he managed 38 touchdowns compared to 20 interceptions. And once again: THAT PLAYOFF WIN!
4. Robert Griffin III
For a time, RGIII was nothing short of outstanding. As you could imagine, the 2012 Offensive Rookie Of The Year was great in his first season, but he fell off considerably due to injuries and ineffectiveness in his next two Washington seasons. Even with the two down years, Griffin had 40 touchdowns (plus eight rushing seasons) and over 8,000 passing yards.
https://youtube.com/shorts/xrYyaXQIvlQ?si=GLadr8jghHDe3uNi
3. Jayden Daniels
What’s there to say? He’s awesome, but he’s only 18 regular season games into his career. At this pace, he’ll be the best Washington QB of the century by mid-2027. Hopefully he’s not very good tonight!
2. Jason Campbell
Don’t let his record (20-32) fool you: Jason Campbell was legitimately good in Washington. The first round pick had more than 10,000 passing yards, as well as 55 touchdowns, compared to 38 interceptions over three-plus seasons with the team.
1. Kirk Cousins
Is this really happening? Yes, apparently. Shockingly, when Kirk Cousins was screaming “YOU LIKE THAT,” he was referring to his 16,206 regular season passing yards, 99 touchdowns, and 55 interceptions during his career in Washington. Believe it or not, Cousins is the best Washington quarterback since 2005. Unreal.