Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Taylor Heinicke was recently claimed off of waivers by the Carolina Panthers.
Heading into the 2016 season, there were some who thought Taylor Heinicke had a decent shot to end up as the number two quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings.
But any hope of that happening was quickly shattered when Heinicke severed a tendon in his ankle after he kicked through a glass pane door when trying to help his friend get into his apartment that they were locked out of.
The quarterback ended up needing surgery to repair the injury and missed the Vikings’ entire 2016 training camp and preseason.
Minnesota Vikings
Had he been healthy, there’s a possibly that Minnesota may not have gone out and traded a first-round pick for Sam Bradford after Teddy Bridgewater dislocated his knee.
After two and a half years with the Vikings, the team released Heinicke last September. During the 2017 season, the quarterback spent time with both the New England Patriots and Houston Texans.
A few days ago the Texans waived Heinicke and the quarterback was then claimed by the Carolina Panthers on Monday. Heinicke joins four other former Minnesota players on the Panthers’ current roster including Matt Kalil, Captain Munnerlyn, Jeremiah Sirles, and Jarius Wright.
During his time with the Vikings, the young quarterback never attempted a pass during the regular season. In nine preseason games with Minnesota from 2015 to 2017, Heinicke completed 63 percent of his passes for 786 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions. He also ran the ball 22 times for 89 yards.
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With second-year quarterback Garrett Gilbert being the only other signal caller on Carolina’s current roster, Heinicke actually has a pretty decent shot to win the backup job behind Cam Newton for the 2018 season.