The Washington Redskins take on the Falcons in the dress rehearsal preseason game but can Dwayne Haskins overtake Case Keenum as the starting quarterback.
After using the 15th overall pick on Dwayne Haskins, there’s not much debate about the Washington Redskins hoping the former Ohio State star is their quarterback for the future. The question entering the preseason was if he’s the quarterback for now, too.
On Thursday night, the Redskins enter the crucial dress rehearsal game, Week 3 of the preseason. And as of now, it’s Case Keenum that will helm the offense, at least according to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Rapoport noted in his report that the Redskins have been pleased with how the rookie has played. And really, it’s not hard to be. While Haskins didn’t have a great debut in Week 1 of the preseason, throwing two interceptions, he’s rebounded from every mistake he’s made. On top of that, the rookie quarterback has shown flashes of big-time playmaking ability as a passer.
Contrarily, Keenum hasn’t shown a lot so far in the preseason. He’s been steady enough, not turning the ball over in limited work. But the veteran acquired in a trade with the Broncos this offseason has also completed only seven of his 16 passes for 112 yards and one touchdown. He’s not exactly been barricading the door so Haskins can’t burst through.
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Thus, heading into the third game of the preseason, you have to wonder how set in stone Keenum’s position is as the starter, assuming the validity of Rapoport’s report in the first place. More simply, if Keenum comes out in the dress rehearsal and looks bad while Haskins then enters and continues to progress, what would the Redskins do?
It’s certainly not inconceivable that Haskins could start Week 1 of the regular season in Washington. Teams don’t draft a quarterback in the first round if they don’t believe in them. And as much as organizations preach having patience with young players, quarterbacks in particular, the time to hop on board the train to the future always comes sooner than they say.
For now, the safe bet would still be Keenum remaining the Redskins starting quarterback when the regular season begins. But if Week 3 of the preseason yields an effort that heavily favors Haskins, that could come into question.
At the very least, if Haskins outperforms Keenum against the Falcons, the time to insert the rookie as the starting quarterback could come sooner in the regular season than previously anticipated. What we can say definitively is that a big game for Haskins in his third preseason tilt will serve his chances of becoming the starter quite well.