Dwayne Haskins didn't have a great preseason debut for the Washington Redskins last Thursday, completing 8 of 14 passes for 117 yards and a couple of interceptions.
The good news is, it's just preseason, and Haskins will have an opportunity to redeem himself this Thursday when the Redskins take on the Cincinnati Bengals.
Haskins has all the talent in the world, but he looked very shaky in his first game, which is not surprising for a rookie. Yet, given that both Kyler Murray and Daniel Jones looked great, Haskins' struggles were magnified.
Here are three things Haskins must do in his second exhibition contest:
3. Maintain Good Footwork
One thing Haskins did very well in his first game for the Redskins was move in and out of the pocket.
The 22-year-old was not known for his athleticism coming out of Ohio State, but he had a couple of really good scrambles in his first game, both of which were the right plays to make.
It's important for Haskins to keep that in mind heading into his next contest for the Redskins. There is nothing wrong with tucking the ball and running at times. While Haskins may not have the legs of Murray or even Jones, it's not as though he is Drew Bledsoe back there.
Basically, if nothing is open down the field and the opportunity is there for Haskins to pick up some yardage on the ground, go for it.
2. Throw a Tighter Spiral
It's funny. Haskins was not known for his running ability, but he displayed decent athleticism last week. He was known for his ridiculous arm strength, and yet, his throws didn't look zippy in his preseason debut.
I'm not sure what was going on in the game, but a handful of Haskins' throws looked wobbly and floated rather than being zipped in there, which is certainly not what thought we would see from Haskins.
It almost seemed that Haskins was trying to be too careful instead of sticking with what he knows and letting it rip. That resulted in overthrowing his targets on several occasions.
The kid has an unbelievably strong arm, so it would be good if we could see it in his second preseason contest for the Redskins. If he does show more confidence and decides to flash his cannon of a right arm, we might see more accurate throws from the rookie.
1. Read Coverages Better
Haskins' interceptions were incredibly ugly last Thursday.
One was thrown into normal single coverage, but it was thrown directly to the defensive back, almost as though the cornerback was his intended target rather than the wideout. The second was thrown into no-man's land without a receiver in the vicinity of the ball.
Of course, it's hard for us to truly determine what went wrong on those plays. Perhaps the receiver ran the wrong route. Maybe Haskins was just overlooking the defensive back.
Regardless, those are throws that should not be made. He wasn't attempting risky passes to make something happen. They were just bad throws, and they are throws he should know not to make this Thursday evening for the Redskins.
Follow Us
Subscribe