NFL: What is next for Dwayne Haskins?
News broke on Monday that the Washington Football Team had released quarterback Dwayne Haskins, an expected move after his performance against the Carolina Panthers in what was a must-win game for Washington to secure a spot in the playoffs.
Haskins had his ups and downs in the 2020 season, as the second-year QB started the first four games of the season, going 1-3. He was benched and demoted to third-string QB after that and Kyle Allen was named the starter, with veteran Alex Smith as the backup.
Shortly after that, Allen suffered a season-ending leg injury, giving head coach Ron Rivera a difficult decision to either start Smith or Haskins. Eventually, Smith became the starting quarterback with Haskins being his backup.
It wasn't expected for Haskins to ever see the field again unless Washington couldn't make it to the playoffs, but the day came when Smith was injured against the San Francisco 49ers and Haskins took over for the next two and a half games. His performance was average at best but was simply not good against the Panthers last week.
Will Dwayne Haskins ever see the field again?
Many believe that Haskins' career as an NFL QB is simply done for. But since his rookie season, he has shown signs of being a star quarterback for a team willing to take a risk. Haskins is considered an old-school quarterback and not as mobile as many up-and-coming QBs in the league currently. That was one reason why he wasn't taken ahead of New York Giants' quarterback Daniel Jones in the same draft class.
The fact of the matter is that Haskins needs to sit for a whole season behind a seasoned veteran, similar to Alex Smith. Teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons, and even the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could sit a young guy who needs to mature over time to show what he can do on the field again.
He may not have worked out in the system that Washington has created, but Haskins could work out elsewhere. The situation brought to Haskins reminds us of Josh Rosen, who was drafted in the first round and then cut after one season with the Arizona Cardinals.
Since then, he has been around a few teams and on practice squads. But Haskins certainly has more talent than Rosen, it's simply a matter of time and maturity for the former Ohio State quarterback.