Washington adds Kyle Shurmur with Fitzpatrick hurt

With Ryan Fitzpatrick hurt, the Washington Football Team is adding a quarterback.

But not that one. 

Washington signed Kyle Shurmur — not Cam Newton — to its practice squad Monday as Fitzpatrick deals with a hip injury, the team announced. Shurmur gives the team additional quarterback depth while Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen will be active on game days, if Fitzpatrick has to miss time.

As soon as Fitzpatrick went down, speculation started whether Washington coach Ron Rivera would be interested in a reunion with Newton, the former Panthers quarterback who is a free agent after the New England Patriots released him prior to the start of the season. Newton and Rivera spent eight-plus years in Carolina together, but Rivera has passed on signing Newton multiple times. 

Shurmur, meanwhile, is the son of Broncos offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. Kyle Shurmur entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2019, spending time with the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals. The 24-year-old played college football at Vanderbilt, where he played in 44 games across four years and threw for 8,865 yards with 64 touchdowns to 29 interceptions. 

After Sunday’s 20-16 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Washington faces a short turnaround when it hosts the New York Giants on “Thursday Night Football.” Fitzpatrick got hurt in the opener during the second quarter and did not return.