The Washington Redskins are 0-2 in the 2019 preseason so far. However, they haven't been all bad. You really can't focus on record at all when it comes to the preseason. In fact, the year the Detroit Lions went 0-16 they were undefeated in the preseason.
With that in mind, records don't matter yet. It's all about performances. How do certain players look on the field? Is there chemistry? Does the team seem to understand the formations and fit into the scheme? How is the coaching staff performing? Who's going to make the final roster and who will be cut?
There are a lot of questions surrounding these games that make them much more interesting than just a record.
On Thursday, the Washington Redskins will play their third preseason game of the year, this time against the Atlanta Falcons.
Here are three players to watch in that game.
3. Dwayne Haskins
This is the most obvious one and the player to watch every week for the Washington Redskins. Dwayne Haskins was their first pick in the 2019 NFL draft and is set to be their quarterback of the future.
He might not be their quarterback of “today” though. It appears Case Keenum will be the starting quarterback to start the season. But how long will that last?
Haskins has looked pretty solid overall this preseason. Yes, he's had some struggles but has looked confident and competent and is making big-time plays.
Finishing the preseason strong is very important for Haskins. Even if he still isn't starting week 1, he'll have planted the seeds. Then if anything should happen during the season and the Redskins feel like they need to make a change at quarterback, he'll have shown he's ready for the challenge.
In week 1 of the preseason, Haskins looked great, but had two major mistakes in the form of interceptions. Last week, he didn't have an interception and had a fantastic touchdown pass – showing off his great pocket awareness and arm. He also struggled to hit his mark at times though.
Could this be the week Haskins puts it all together and ditches the inconsistent play?
2. Ereck Flowers
The Washington Redskins offensive line is in a weird spot. If Trent Williams was there, I'd say they were great. However, he's not at the moment and things are iffy because of it.
The right side of the line is fine. Brandon Scherff is an elite right guard and Morgan Moses is a very solid right tackle. Chase Rouiller at center should be fine as well.
The left side has issues though. With Williams not with the team at the moment, they'll be going to Donald Penn (maybe Geron Christian but 99% Penn). While Penn is a great tackle in his own right, he's not Williams.
This might not be that big of an issue, but left guard is a bad spot. Ereck Flowers is set to start there after failing pretty miserably at tackle in the past. Honestly, I think his skill set could translate great at the position and this could help turn his career around. However, he'll likely still struggle to start and a safety net would've been great.
Having Williams next to him would've taken a lot of pressure off Flowers and made the transition a lot smoother.
Without him, Flowers will need to improve at a faster rate. He looked a lot better in week 2 than he did in week 1, which is a major positive. There are still quite a few steps he needs to make though.
If he isn't careful, the Redskins could give up on him and decide to go with rookie Wes Martin.
1. Jimmy Moreland
The Washington Redskins seventh-round draft pick has looked absolutely awesome so far. Jimmy Moreland has done nothing but impress at cornerback to this point in the preseason.
In week 1 of the preseason, Moreland was one of the standout performers. He had a couple of great pass deflections and forced a fumble at the goal line. In week 2, it was more standout plays.
Moreland's a great physical tackler and an absolute ball hawk. He's solid in coverage and already looks to be the great player Washington was gambling on him becoming.
Of course, two preseason games don't really mean anything in the long run. He'll need to show a lot more than that.
That all starts, with a solid end to the preseason. If Moreland can finish strong, he might be able to find a role right away on the defense. Then he can get to making his mark even faster.
Week 3 is the perfect opportunity for Moreland to do that.
He's had two strong weeks already and another big game against a great offense would prove he's for real.
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