As the Washington Redskins and their ever-faithful fanbase wait with optimism for team activities to start back on the field, one of the most discussed topics on social media is the importance of a strong season from incumbent starting quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
With COVID-19 having brought nearly every business to a halt, the NFL had to revert to social distancing and online meetings for OTAs and minicamps.
Fans have seen glimpses of Haskins on social media throwing and working on his craft.
The second-year player has lost weight and seems poised to disprove the ‘many’ naysayers who last year unfairly looked at the former Ohio State standout as a bust even though he had to work hard to get on the field in a chaotic rookie campaign.
The Redskins were an absolute mess of a team and organization in 2019. Owner Dan Snyder fired coach Jay Gruden during the season. The team and All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams had a public medical dispute and holdout. Then there was talk all season long on when the team would fire team President Bruce Allen.
Allen was ultimately relieved of his duties, and the team traded Williams to the San Francisco 49ers in April.
As for Haskins, expectations were kept to a minimum for his inaugural season, at least by Gruden. When he did hit the field, it was under adverse conditions. Things weren’t in place for him to have success – at least not right away.
Second-year turnarounds for quarterbacks can be commonplace when the teams they play for tailor the playbook to fit the signal-callers strengths.
Remember, just a year ago, there was talk that Lamar Jackson – despite leading the Baltimore Ravens to the playoffs in 2018 – was never going to become a legitimate pocket passer. Despite his incredible Heisman Trophy collegiate career at Louisville, where he posed as much a threat through the air as he did with his legs, critics had all but labeled Jackson as one-dimensional. This past year in his second season and first full campaign as a starter, Jackson was the runaway league MVP and took Baltimore back to the playoffs as the AFC’s top seed. Baltimore did an excellent job building and revamping their playbook to fit the immense talents that Jackson possesses.
Can the Redskins under their new coach Ron Rivera and offensive coordinator Scot Turner do the same for Haskins?
The answer is yes!
Jackson and Haskins are entirely different quarterbacks, but like the Ravens, the Redskins have to be patient with Haskins and let his maturation as a team leader come to him. After each start, last season, his development was on display for everyone who didn’t have on blinders.
As mentioned, the former Bullis Highschool star’s first action of the season was not in ideal situations for any rookie.
Haskins hit the field in Week 4 on the road against the New York Giants after being thrust into action for a struggling Case Keenum. During the game, Haskins looked like a rookie in his decision making. He vowed after the game to learn from the experience.
His second time getting back on the field was on a Thursday night nationally televised game on the road against the Minnesota Vikings. Haskins had come in for Keenum after the nine-year veteran exited the game with a concussion. He showed some flashes but still looked like a rookie finding his way.
The first-year signal-callers’ first start was against the Buffalo Bills and their top five ranked defense on the road. In the 24-9 loss, Haskins showed that he could make throws against a formidable defense. His stat line of 15 completions on 22 attempts for 144 yards didn’t wow, but it proved that as a starter and with more time, the young QB could be what the franchise had envisioned.
Over his rookie campaign, Haskins won more games than both Keenum and backup Colt McCoy did collectively for the Redskins. On the season, he completed 58.6% of his passes for 1,365 yards. He threw for seven touchdowns along with seven interceptions.
What does all of that mean?
It should bring hope that despite some irresponsible chatter of his game not being up to par, he never lost his teammates on the field, and they started to play for him.
If you don’t see improvement in Dwayne Haskins as a starter I really don’t know what else to say. He’s not expected to be Tom Brady right now but to show improvement. I’m seeing gains each week and that’s all we wanted to see. #Redskins Thoughts?
— Lake Lewis Jr (@LakeLewisJr) December 1, 2019
If that play can carry that over into 2020, the Redskins and Haskins have a chance to finally end the revolving quarterback dilemma that has plagued the franchise for more than two decades.
Redskins’ future Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson while in a recent conference call with reporters, mentioned how excited he is to see Haskins continued development.
“I want to see him blossom,” Peterson said of Haskins. “I’m expecting big things from him. I know he’s been in his book, and he’s working hard to be that leader that we need him to be. I think last year was an eye-opener for him, just the transition he went through from training camp to the end of the season. I was able to see him grow. That’s what I look forward to him to do with this new system and helping this team win a championship.”
The talent is in the building, albeit young talent. Nevertheless, if Haskins adapts his game and the team adjusts to him, the Redskins could surprise this season.