Recapping Dwayne Haskins' poor performance in his first NFL preseason game

Things don’t always start off going perfectly correct.

Certain things need time. A quarterback’s development in the NFL is often one of those things in life.

Take Dwayne Haskins for example. The former Ohio State gunslinger set numerous records last season. In 2018 alone, Haskins threw for over 4,800 yards and 50 TD to just 8 INT. He was an absolute monster.

Fast forward a few months and add NFL defenses into the equation. That’s when things got a bit more difficult.

Haskins — now a member of the Washington Redskins — on Thursday night in his first NFL preseason game against the Cleveland Browns completed 8-of-14 passes for 117 yards. Not terrible, right?

When you add in his zero TDs and two INTs, though, that adds more to the story. Haskins has a cannon. He showed it in spots against the Browns.

However, QBs with rocket arms don’t always make it in the league. Former LSU QB JaMarcus Russell is a perfect example. Jay Cutler is another, although he did spend many seasons as Chicago’s starter.

Point being, it takes more than a big arm to succeed. Haskins throwing two INTs isn’t the end of the world. However, it does have to be cleaned up.

Dwayne Haskins throws his second interception of the night to fellow rookie Greedy Williams. A roller-coaster first quarter of preseason play, with some impressive downfield throws but also some rookie mistakes, for the former Ohio State quarterback.

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) August 9, 2019

Dwayne Haskins only threw two interceptions in a game once last season. He has two in his first quarter tonight.

— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) August 9, 2019

Dwayne Haskins' 2nd interception of the half was ugly. Overthrew a ball by about 10-feet to a receiver streaking down the seam. That'll result in a pickle almost every time.

He's learning a lot tonight. #Redskins.

— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) August 9, 2019

As ESPN’s John Keim pointed out, Haskins wasn’t great getting out of the huddle. He was a bit inaccurate. He also didn’t handle blitzes well and had multiple mistakes.

Again, Haskins’ NFL debut wasn’t great. In fact, it was bad.

But, that’s OK. Haskins has plenty of time to learn and the Redskins have QBs on the roster who can start Week 1 if need be. All the pressure in the world isn’t on Haskins.

At least, it isn’t yet. The team drafted him to be their franchise QB.

It’s just a matter of Haskins getting better and proving that he can be that guy.