The Washington Redskins finally gave rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins a start in Week 9. Now they have to do the smart thing, and start him the rest of the way.
It’s pretty safe to say the Washington Redskins are not having a good 2019 season. They are 1-8 and you would be hard-pressed to find even a handful of positives coming out of this year. Heading into their bye in Week 10, the only major positive you can really point to on offense has been rookie wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
Other smaller positives would be Ereck Flowers looking good at left guard and Steven Sims Jr. being a great undrafted pick up at receiver. Outside of that, good luck getting too excited about much.
That’s upsetting because the biggest reason Redskins fans were excited heading into the year was rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins. Selected with the 15th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Haskins was immediately seen as their franchise quarterback for the next decade-plus. He even looked very promising in the preseason. However, the starting job was given to veteran Case Keenum.
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This move was rewarded with two fantastic starts from Keenum to begin the year. That was it though. He looked miserable in Week 3 and started Week 4 even worse before being benched right before the half for Haskins. Haskins struggled, but was coming into a game cold and hadn’t practiced with the starters. He finished out the game but wasn’t starting Week 5.
In Week 8, Haskins came in at the half again due to a concussion for Keenum. Again he didn’t look great but you can give him the same excuse. Hilariously, a lot of Washington fans were ready to throw in the towel with Haskins on Twitter. This, despite him having just 22 career pass attempts.
Haskins got a big chance to prove himself in Week 9. Going up against the elite Buffalo Bills defense, he was named the starter. While the offense didn’t look great, Haskins wasn’t really the issue. His overall numbers weren’t anything to write home about, but no quarterback has looked good against Buffalo all year.
In fact, the 15-for-22 with 144 yards and no turnovers had some real positives to it. For example, that 68.2 completion percentage was the third-best any quarterback has put up against the Bills all year. Haskins was also just the second quarterback to not have a turnover against Buffalo.
The positives grossly outweighed the negatives. Despite that, interim head coach Bill Callahan did not want to commit to a quarterback for Week 11. It seems the thought process is that they have an entire extra week to work things out.
This is a no-brainer, though. If Washington does anything other than start Dwayne Haskins, heads should roll.
The Redskins are 1-8. Even if they win their last seven games of the season, there’s an extremely high chance they aren’t making the playoffs. Starting Keenum (or Colt McCoy) is not going to help anyone. Haskins, on the other hand, can do a lot for the offense.
First off, he can begin his progression. Nothing can replace actually playing the game. Those game reps he gets now, in a lost season, could be invaluable in the future. Second, the Redskins can see how he looks. Giving Haskins the rest of the season can help Washington evaluate him better. If there’s a chance he’s the answer, they can see what they need to put around him. If there’s a chance he isn’t the solution, they can start wondering about other options.
Finally, Haskins can build a rapport with the offense. Even if he struggles, Haskins is likely the starter next season. It would benefit everyone if he was comfortable with the offense. He already has a good connection with his college teammate, McLaurin. Getting him used to Kelvin Harmon, Sims Jr. and Trey Quinn is extremely important too, however.
If nothing else, this gives Washington fans a reason to watch. The Redskins are 1-8 and have done very little right in 2019. Time to give the rookie a chance. Dwayne Haskins proved in Week 9 that he can handle himself on an NFL field. Give him the keys; it’s a no-brainer.