The Washington Redskins are thrilled to have Dwayne Haskins. Not just because the former Ohio State signal-caller has tools to develop into an upper-echelon NFL starter, but also due to situation he's entering with Washington.
In a seven-minute appearance on ESPN's First Take on Tuesday, Redskins president Bruce Allen said his team has the “perfect environment” to foster the development of a young quarterback.
“As far as Dwayne, we have a great system and a great environment to develop a quarterback,” he said, per Scott Allen of The Washington Post. “Our offensive coordinator [Kevin O’Connell], our quarterbacks coach [Tim Rattay], our senior assistant [Matt Cavanaugh] all played quarterback in the NFL. Our head coach [Jay Gruden] was a quarterback, and of course we have Doug Williams in the building. We think we have the perfect environment to nurture a young quarterback. And don’t forget, the secret ingredient, maybe, for Patrick Mahomes was Alex Smith. We’re pleased to have Alex and this group to help mentor a quarterback.”
Smith, who the Redskins acquired from the Kansas City Chiefs before last season, suffered a compound fracture in his right leg in mid November – 33 years to the date after Washington legend Joe Theismann suffered a similar injury that ended his career. Smith is unlikely to be able to return to the field in 2019, and will thus serve as a de facto coach of sorts while completing his rehab. In the 2017 season, he played mentor to reigning league MVP Patrick Mahomes, who sat behind Smith as the Chiefs' backup during his rookie season.
Haskins, the No. 15 overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, threw for 50 touchdowns, seven interceptions, and 4,831 yards while completing a whopping 70 percent of his passes as a first-year starter for Ohio State last season. He will likely enter training camp as the Redskins' backup behind offseason acquisition Case Keenum.