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New staff ‘knows’ Dwayne Haskins will be Redskins starting QB in 2020
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Dwayne Haskins didn’t walk into the Washington Redskins organization and win the starting job immediately as a rookie. But with the struggles in DC, the former Ohio State gunslinger got his opportunity to shine.
According to Doug Williams, Washington’s senior vice president of player development, Haskins is the guy heading into the 2020 season. A change of coaching staff — with Ron Rivera taking over for Jay Gruden — should allow Haskins the opportunity to prove what he can do on the field.
“The new staff knows that Dwayne Haskins is the starting quarterback here,” Williams told John Keim of ESPN. “The only thing that can happen is for Dwayne to give it back to them. It’s up to him to learn the playbook, wear the coaches out. He’s got to stay at the facility until they run him out of the building. …
“Dwayne has a long way to go. But like I told him, he was doing what we expected him to do. He was ascending. Hopefully the way he goes now, he keeps going up. All eyes are going to be on him. At the same time you’ve got a new coaching staff and they’re not married to him.”
Haskins completed 58.6% of his passes for 1,365 yards, seven touchdowns, seven interceptions and a 76.1 rating while appearing in nine games for the Redskins in his rookie season. He made seven starts in his first year in the league.
There’s no doubt Haskins has to continue to develop as a quarterback and a leader at the highest level, but it’s clear Williams doesn’t believe the rookie got a fair shot last season. It’ll be interesting to see what he can do in his second season in Washington.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB