The Washington Football Team can officially thank Garrett Gilbert for his service and resume the time of Taylor Heinicke.
Washington activated Heinicke from the reserve/COVID-19 list on Thursday, the team announced. Linebacker David Mayo and tight end Temarrick Hemingway were also activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list, and quarterback Jordan Ta'amu was released.
Heinicke missed Washington's rescheduled Week 15 game due to his stay on the reserve/COVID-19 list, meaning the Football Team had to quickly find a replacement for him. With Kyle Allen also on the reserve/COVID-19 list at the time, Washington was left with no other choice than to sign Gilbert off New England's practice squad and play him in the Tuesday night loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
It wasn't the best experience, as Philadelphia outgained Washington 519 to 237 and won by 10 points despite committing two turnovers. But Gilbert wasn't horrible, completing 20 of 31 passes for 194 yards.
Washington will be glad to have Heinicke back, though, with the belief he can jump-start a desperate push for the final wild-card spot in the NFC. Heinicke has seemed to improve as the year has progressed and he's grown more comfortable as the team's full-time starter, posting a 90-plus passer rating in four of his last five outings.
He'll need a few more performances like that if he hopes to get the Football Team back to the postseason for a second straight year. At 6-8 and a game out of the final wild-card opening heading into Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys, Washington has no room for error.