It was short-lived, but Atlanta native Taylor Heinicke got his first taste of NFL action on Christmas.
Spelling T.J. Yates after a concussion, Heinicke entered at quarterback for the Texans. The 24-year-old completed one pass for 10 yards, but exited with a concussion in his second drive. Yates returned to finish the game, a 34-6 Steelers win.
The Collins Hill graduate went undrafted after staring at Old Dominion. Heinicke threw 132 touchdowns to 39 interceptions, including a 30:16 ratio his senior year, Old Dominion’s first in the FBS, after becoming the first FCS quarterback to exceed 5,000 passing yards in 2012.
Heinicke was the Vikings’ third-string quarterback his rookie year in 2015. He didn’t play the following season due to injury. He was released from the Patriots’ practice squad earlier this season and scooped up by Houston after Gainesville native Deshaun Watson tore his ACL.
In high school, Heinicke made the all-state team as a junior and won Old Spice national player of the year honors for Georgia his senior year. He threw for 4,218 yards and 44 touchdowns, both top three single-season marks in state history. Both are records for Gwinnett high school football.
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