Commanders Rookie TE Scores First NFL Touchdown on ‘Taylor Swift’ Play Call

Getty Washington Commanders tight end Ben Sinnott.

The Washington Commanders and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury have a vast playbook that includes, like many NFL teams, variations on play calls that would cause the average person to curl up in the fetal position were they required to learn them all.

But sometimes, they just keep it simple. And sometimes, there’s some fun involved.

Like, for example, when Commanders rookie tight end Ben Sinnott scored his first career touchdown in a Week 7 win over the Carolina Panthers, with Kingsbury telling The Athletic’s Ben Standig and Chris Licata that the play call Sinnott scored on was called “Taylor Swift” in honor of the pop superstar who is one half of arguably the world’s most famous couple alongside Kansas City Chiefs tight end and 3-time Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce.

“His first catch was a touchdown and the play was called ‘Taylor Swift,’ so you can’t really beat that to start your NFL scoring career,” Kingsbury said. “He was stoked about it. He’s been getting better and better. I think the game’s slowing down for him. He’s a tremendous talent.”

Sinnott scored on a 3-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Marcus Mariota with 8:58 left in the third quarter to put the Commanders up 34-0.

Sinnott Had Been Non-Existent in Offense

Sinnott’s 2 receptions for 6 yards might not look like much on paper, but it might give a much-needed boost to a player who has been non-existent in the offense to this point — those were also the first 2 receptions and the first 2 targets of his career.

The Commanders were likely hoping for more out of the former Kansas State star right away after they drafted him in the second round (No. 53 overall) of the 2024 NFL draft and signed him to a 4-year, $7.22 million contract.

Sinnott upped those hopes after an impressive preseason, including 3 receptions for 57 yards against the New York Jets and his performance leading up to the regular season prompted Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski to put him on his list of the Top 10 rookies in the NFL in the preseason.

“General manager Adam Peters drafted Sinnott in the second round for a reason,” Sobleski wrote. “He’s a tremendous athlete who can provide a safety blanket for his quarterbacks … Sinnott caught three passes for 57 yards against the New York Jets. To (Dan) Quinn’s point, the tight end’s 44-yard breakout was an easy seam route with a free release but required the rookie to make the grab with a safety bearing down on him. The tight end forced a missed tackle. While (Zach) Ertz is a well-established veteran, Sinnott can grow into an excellent weapon for Kliff Kingsbury’s passing attack.”

Ertz Experiencing Career Revival With Commanders

One of the many surprising things about the Commanders and their 5-2 record to start the season has been the play of veteran tight end Zach Ertz, who is experiencing a career renaissance with 25 receptions for 268 yards and 1 touchdown — he’s also the biggest reason why Sinnott has taken a backseat as a rookie.

Ertz spent a decade as one of the NFL’s elite tight ends as a 3-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion with the Philadelphia Eagles before signing a 3-year, $31.5 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals in March 2022, but was waived by the team after less than 2 seasons.

The Commanders signed Ertz to a 1-year, $3 million contract in March 2024.