The Washington Redskins have an exciting quarterback in Dwayne Haskins. He was third in the 2018 Heisman race as a sophomore and had impressive throwing numbers. There's no question as to why the entire Washington fan base is excited about the 22-year-old's prospects.
However, head coach Jay Gruden poured hot water on the fiery Haskins hype train by announcing that he will be starting veteran Case Keenum against the Philadelphia Eagles in their season opener instead.
Before a lot of Redskins fans light up their torches and pick up their pitchforks, Gruden elaborated on his choices for Week 1. Per E.Jay Zarett's piece on Sporting News, his decision was a logical one.
“I think Case has come in here and picked up the offense extremely well,” Gruden told reporters at a press conference. “He has great confidence and command over the team. … At the end of the day, we have great confidence that Case can lead us to a win over Philadelphia.”
A quick look at Keenum's numbers supports Gruden's rationale and decision. Undrafted in 2012, he bounced around the league while establishing himself as a quarterback. He played for the Houston Texans, St. Louis Rams, Los Angeles Rams, and Minnesota Vikings.
However, it was with the Denver Broncos that Keenum found success. Jay Gruden knows this. Starting all 16 games with the Broncos, he averaged close to 4000 passing yards and notched 18 touchdowns before being traded in the 2019 offseason.
There's no reason to doubt that Haskins could be a starter later in the season, however. Should Keenum struggle to connect with his receivers and convert touchdowns, there's no question that Gruden will shoe him into the starter position. It's hard to ignore Haskins' 2018 season with the Buckeyes, when he collected 4,831 yards on 70% throwing accuracy.
Follow Us
Subscribe