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Although the Washington Football Team may have recently named quarterback Dwayne Haskins as the starter going into the 2020 NFL season opener, it appears the decision-making process has been in the works for quite some time.
The new coaching regime under Ron Rivera inherited Haskins as the team's potential franchise quarterback. However, there had initially been some speculation regarding their alternative plans under center this offseason. According to Rhiannon Walker of The Athletic, Rivera admits to stalking his social media in an effort to help make a decision:
This was funny, coach Ron Rivera admitted he stalked — kept tabs on — Dwayne Haskins social media. And he saw the tweets about leadership, working out and getting with his teammates. They texted during the Super Bowl, playoffs and Draft. All that mattered in forming his opinion.
— Rhiannon Walker (@InstantRHIplay) September 4, 2020
While Rivera may be considered old school in many ways, he clearly had no problem keeping up with players on social media. Fortunately, the content coming from Haskins was largely centered around is commitment toward taking a big leap in Year 2 and it seemingly paid huge dividends in making an impression on his new coaching staff.
Haskins has only managed to solidify this notion by taking on first-team reps for the bulk of training camp. Regardless, it is safe to assume that his status as the long-term starter is hardly set in stone following a rough rookie year. He will need to prove that all of his efforts on and off the field were enough to solidify his case.
Should Haskins slips up or start to regress, Rivera still has quarterback Alex Smith as a contingency plan. Fortunately, his efforts to keep tabs indicate that he is optimistic that Washington made the right decision in giving him another chance to fit the billing as a former first-round pick.
