Washington Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins didn't have the kind of debut he was hoping for, with the rookie going 9-for-17 with 107 yards and three interceptions in an ugly 24-3 loss to the New York Giants this past Sunday. After weeks of media and fans pushing for Haskins to start over Case Keenum, the youngster was finally thrust into the spotlight after Keenum came out of the game due to a foot injury.
Facing off against fellow rookie Daniel Jones, Haskins clearly showed that he was not ready to enter that position. A Giants defense that has struggled looked superb compared to the rookie signal caller.
There was much more to this game than just the two teams facing off. Haskins has carried a chip on his shoulder since being passed on by the Giants in this past draft, when they elected to take Jones instead. You have to think Haskins felt much more pressure than to just make his reads and throws. Instead, in the back of his mind he needed to prove the Giants and all the critics wrong.
Haskins did not have Washington's full arsenal either, as top receiver and Haskins' college teammate Terry McLaurin was out with a hamstring injury. That didn't help Haskins' cause.
What Sunday showed more than anything is that Haskins will need more time to learn from the bench. Throwing him out against a New England Patriots defense that has shut down opposing offenses would only further stagnate Haskins' development.
Since drafting Haskins, head coach Jay Gruden has stated that he will play him when he is ready, and Sunday showed us just how unprepared he was. For a man who is doing his best just to simply keep his job, outside noise might have influenced Gruden's decision to put in Haskins over Colt McCoy.
Now sitting at 0-4, the best move for Haskins and Washington is to simply coach the rookie up as much as they can so when the quarterback does get his debut start, he will be ready for it. Haskins was not in a situation where one could see him succeeding.
With Washington in the midst of another lost season, the priority should be Dwayne Haskins and assisting him in any way they can to further his development. A good target for Haskins would be a Week 11 start against the other New York team. This would give Haskins ample time to adjust to the NFL game and just simply learn.
This means going with Keenum or McCoy moving forward.
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