Player
Taylor Heinicke
QB
Rushing yards from a QB reflect mobility, improvisation under pressure, and dual-threat value — traits scouts hunt in the draft. That an undrafted free agent from Old Dominion ranked 6th leaguewide in that category, ahead of blue-chip picks like Herbert and Jones, is the clearest possible signal of how unexpectedly dangerous Heinicke was as a 2021 starter.
In 2021, Heinicke Out-Rushed Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady & Joe Burrow — Undrafted, Out of Old Dominion
Comparison2021 QB Rushing Yards — QBs with 12+ Starts
| Rank | QB | Rush Yds | Carries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jalen Hurts | 784 | 139 |
| 2 | Josh Allen | 763 | 122 |
| 3 | Kyler Murray | 423 | 88 |
| 4 | Patrick Mahomes | 381 | 66 |
| 5 | Trevor Lawrence | 334 | 73 |
| 6 | Taylor Heinicke ★ | 313 | 60 |
| 7 | Justin Herbert | 302 | 63 |
| 8 | Ryan Tannehill | 270 | 55 |
| — | Aaron Rodgers | 101 | 33 |
| — | Tom Brady | 81 | 28 |
| — | Joe Burrow | 118 | 40 |
Why it matters. Rushing yards from a QB reflect mobility, improvisation under pressure, and dual-threat value — traits scouts hunt in the draft. That an undrafted free agent from Old Dominion ranked 6th leaguewide in that category, ahead of blue-chip picks like Herbert and Jones, is the clearest possible signal of how unexpectedly dangerous Heinicke was as a 2021 starter.
Heinicke went 4-0 in November 2021 — then 1-7 the rest of the year
SplitTaylor Heinicke 2021 — Month-by-Month Split
| Month | W-L | TD:INT | Comp% | Avg FP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep | 2-2 | 8:3 | 69.5% | 19.7 |
| Oct | 0-4 | 3:6 | 59.6% | 12.8 |
| Nov | 4-0 | 7:2 | 77.3% | 16.2 |
| Dec/Jan | 1-3 | 2:4 | 53.5% | 6.7 |
Why it matters. The month-to-month swing — from 0-4 with a 0.5 TD/INT ratio in October to a perfect 4-0 with a 3.5 TD/INT ratio in November — is the sharpest within-season hot/cold split of any 2021 starter. It explains why Washington kept starting him despite the rough stretches: the November version was genuinely good.
CUT by 3 teams across 5 seasons before Washington let him start — then he went 7-9 in his only full year
TrendHeinicke Pre-WAS Roster Path
| Team | Season | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| MIN | 2015-16 | Practice squad |
| NE | 2017 | CUT |
| MIN | 2017 | CUT |
| HOU | 2017 | Practice squad |
| CAR | 2018-19 | CUT |
| WAS | 2020 | Practice squad → Wild Card start |
Why it matters. Going undrafted, surviving 3 outright roster cuts across 5 seasons, and then delivering a full 16-game starting year places Heinicke in an extremely small cohort of QBs who reached sustained starter status without ever being drafted or given an obvious path to the field.
306 yards, 1 TD in his first playoff start — undrafted, off the practice squad, vs Brady's eventual Super Bowl champs
RareHeinicke 2020 Wild Card vs Tampa Bay
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Round | Wild Card |
| Cmp/Att | 26/44 |
| Pass Yds | 306 |
| Pass TDs | 1 |
| INTs | 1 |
| Result | WAS 23, TB 31 |
Why it matters. Undrafted QBs almost never reach the playoffs, let alone put up 300-yard games against a dynasty roster on the cusp of a title. Heinicke's performance stands as one of the starkest underdog stories in recent postseason history — and it directly triggered a 3-year starter contract.
Undrafted & #19: Heinicke Out-Threw Jalen Hurts, Russell Wilson & Baker Mayfield in 2021
Comparison2021 QB Passing Yards — QBs with 400+ Attempts (25 Total)
| Rank | QB | Team | Yds | Att | Cmp% | TDs | INTs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Ben Roethlisberger | PIT | 3,740 | 605 | 64.5% | 22 | 10 |
| 16 | Ryan Tannehill | TEN | 3,734 | 531 | 67.2% | 21 | 14 |
| 17 | Trevor Lawrence | JAX | 3,641 | 602 | 59.6% | 12 | 17 |
| 18 | Carson Wentz | IND | 3,563 | 516 | 62.4% | 27 | 7 |
| 19 | Taylor Heinicke ★ | WAS | 3,419 | 494 | 65.0% | 20 | 15 |
| 20 | Jared Goff | DET | 3,245 | 494 | 67.2% | 19 | 8 |
| 21 | Jalen Hurts | PHI | 3,144 | 432 | 61.3% | 16 | 9 |
| 22 | Russell Wilson | SEA | 3,113 | 400 | 64.8% | 25 | 6 |
| 23 | Teddy Bridgewater | DEN | 3,052 | 426 | 66.9% | 18 | 7 |
| 24 | Baker Mayfield | CLE | 3,010 | 418 | 60.5% | 17 | 13 |
| 25 | Sam Darnold | CAR | 2,527 | 406 | 59.9% | 9 | 13 |
Why it matters. Being #19 of 25 in a cohort of 400+ attempt starters sounds middling — but Heinicke was the only undrafted QB in the group, and he did it while beating five drafted starters including two former #1 overall picks (Darnold, Lawrence). His completion rate matched the cohort average despite playing behind a Washington line that allowed the 8th-most sacks in the NFL that season.
268 Pass Yds + 95 Rush Yds: Heinicke Crashed the MVP Club in 2021 Wk 7
AnomalyQBs with 250+ Pass Yds AND 90+ Rush Yds in a Single Game (NFL history)
| QB | Season | Wk | Pass Yds | Rush Yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamar Jackson | 2022 | 2 | 318 | 119 |
| Lamar Jackson | 2024 | 1 | 273 | 122 |
| Lamar Jackson | 2019 | 2 | 272 | 120 |
| Lamar Jackson | 2021 | 9 | 266 | 120 |
| Cam Newton | 2012 | 14 | 287 | 116 |
| Mike Vick | 2004 | 8 | 252 | 115 |
| Colin Kaepernick | 2016 | 12 | 296 | 113 |
| Marcus Mariota | 2015 | 13 | 268 | 112 |
| Josh Allen | 2021 | 14 | 308 | 109 |
| Cam Newton | 2014 | 6 | 284 | 107 |
| Russell Wilson | 2014 | 7 | 313 | 106 |
| Kyler Murray | 2020 | 9 | 283 | 106 |
| Cam Newton | 2015 | 15 | 340 | 100 |
| Cam Newton | 2017 | 10 | 254 | 95 |
| Taylor Heinicke ★ | 2021 | 7 | 268 | 95 |
| Kyler Murray | 2019 | 5 | 253 | 93 |
| Mike Vick | 2011 | 5 | 315 | 90 |
| Justin Herbert | 2021 | 11 | 382 | 90 |
Why it matters. A 250+/90+ passing-rushing game requires both arm talent and elite athleticism in the same performance — which is why the list is essentially a who's-who of dual-threat MVPs. Heinicke crashing that list as an undrafted journeyman making his 10th career start is a statistical outlier with no real precedent.
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