Less than two years after Washington chose Dwayne Haskins with no. With 15 choices in the 2019 NFL draft, the Football Team decided to leave their old QB of the future. As if the decision didn’t open your eyes enough, the move comes before an unmissable game against the Eagles in Sunday Night Football this will determine the winner of NFC East.
“This afternoon, I met with Dwayne and informed him that we would be releasing him,” Washington coach Ron Rivera said in a statement. “I told him that I believe it is beneficial for both parties to go their separate ways. We want to thank Dwayne for his contributions over the past two seasons and wish him well. “
Haskins’ journey from choosing the first round to free agent was quick, but his departure from Washington is underway throughout the season. By Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Haskins would be inactive this weekend and his departure occurred as a result of “an accumulation of problems” – including breaches of the COVID-19 protocol and bad game – that have accumulated throughout the year. His departure serves as an amazing reminder of how the selection of defenders remains one of the most inaccurate aspects of NFL team building, and how organizational direction and stability affect a defender’s performance in the league.
Sunday’s loss to the Panthers represented a second chance for Haskins. After a boring debut season in which he occasionally displayed his potential, Haskins won the title of captain during the off-season and entered the regular season of 2020 as the clear holder of Washington. But Haskins did not show much improvement during the first quarter of the year. During the first four weeks, Haskins ranked 28th out of 34 passers qualified in the completion rate (61 percent), tied 32nd in the adjusted completion rate (66.2), tied 27th in yards per attempt (6.4 ) and 33rd in the approval score (48.0), according to Pro Football Focus. Washington was 1-3 in that stretch, and Haskins was eliminated in week 5 and demoted to no. 3 in the depth chart behind former free agent Kyle Allen and Alex Smith; at that point in the season, the latter has not played since suffering an injury that almost ended his career in 2018.
Before Washington’s defeat in Week 6 to the Giants, Haskins violated the COVID-19 protocols by making reservations for a family friend at the team’s hotel. He was fined $ 4,833 and remained Washington’s third QB group until week 10, after Allen was lost for the season to a horrible injury to the dislocated ankle. Haskins supported Smith, managing the function until week 14, when Smith suffered a calf strain against the 49ers that forced him to give up for two weeks. Haskins started during the football team’s defeat in week 15 against the Seahawks, after which he was depicted without a mask at a private party that he said it was a party for his girlfriend’s birthday. The NFL fined $ 40,000– the biggest fine known for a player’s breach of COVID-19 – and Washington removed him from his captaincy.
Despite Haskins’ second violation, he started Washington’s game on Sunday against the Panthers. Haskins completed 14 of 28 passes for 154 yards and two choices, in addition to losing a fumble, compiling a 4.1 QBR against Carolina. Haskins’ performance was so poor that Washington turned to Taylor Heinicke, a former assistant who was studying for college finals when Washington contacted him. Heinicke signed with the Washington training team on December 8 and replaced Haskins in the fourth quarter against Carolina. After Sunday’s defeat, Haskins initially refused to speak to the media during post-game interviews – NFL protocols state that starting QBs talk to the media after the game, although Haskins apparently took over that because Heinicke spoke later, he didn’t need to. Eventually, Washington’s public relations contacted Haskins, who conducted a presser from his home, looking visibly depressed.
“Definitely the most difficult week of my life. I just want to recover and move on, pray and get my life in order, ”Haskins said reporters. He added later: “You apply for this job and you are what you are. Sometimes, being human is not enough. Just take on your responsibilities and mistakes and be a better person in the future, put your best foot forward and pray for another opportunity. … You never know when you’re going to get another one. “
Haskins set a similar tone in a declaration released after being cut, saying he takes “full responsibility for not meeting the standards of an NFL QB”.
Haskins’ career in the NFL is not over yet, although it is unclear whether he will have another immediate chance to start soon. Haskins is currently on exemption, and any team that claims it will be committed to $ 68,000 this week alone, in addition to the nearly $ 4.3 million guaranteed over the next two years, by Dan Graziano from ESPN. Haskins’ numbers are not flattering – the 23-year-old’s career numbers include a completion rate of 60.1, a touchdown fee of 12 to 14 for interception, 6.3 yards per attempt (he dropped from 6, 7 yards per attempt to 6 yards per attempt this season), 5.4 yards adjusted per attempt and only 175.3 passing yards per game in 16 games (13 career starts).
Games where Haskins launched more touchdowns than interceptions: 5
Games in which Haskins threw more interceptions than touchdowns: 6
– #RingerNFL (@ringernfl) December 28, 2020
Still, Haskins does not deserve to bear all the blame for his failure. Washington has been a dysfunctional franchise, and the team wasted no time in bringing it straight into the center of the chaos. Haskins was drawn up by former Washington head coach Jay Gruden, and there were murmurs that Gruden and his technical team were not interested in selecting Haskins, whom Gruden once described as “very raw”. Haskins started at Ohio State only in 2018, his second season of red t-shirts, and broke school records for passing yards (4,831) and touchdowns (50). He finished third in the Heisman vote and entered the 2019 NFL draft. As an NFL rookie, Haskins sat behind Case Keenum and Colt McCoy – a pair of longtime NFL backups – for much of the year, before taking over from 9 to 16 weeks.
“It was the direction we decided to go,” Gruden told ESPN’s The Dan Le Batard Show last year. “There were a few other defenders that some people liked in that building later in the draft, but we chose Dwayne and tried to make the most of it. He still has a chance to be a great player, no doubt. “
If Haskins really has a chance to be a great player, he will have to prove it elsewhere than Washington. Haskins was the third selected quarterback in the 2019 class, behind Kyler Murray (Cardinals, No. 1) and Daniel Jones (Giants, No. 6) and ahead of Drew Lock (Broncos, No. 42). He joins a dubious group of former first round callers who have not lasted more than two years with the clubs that selected them. Since 2000, this group has included Tim Tebow (Broncos, 2010-11), Brandon Weeden (Browns, 2012-13), Johnny Manziel (Browns, 2014-15), Paxton Lynch (Broncos, 2016-17) and Josh Rosen (Cardinals , 2018-19). Haskins will have to challenge the odds of returning to the NFL as a starting QB.
As for Rivera and the football team, the base for the reconstruction is still ready and looks ahead. Washington is in a position to secure its first playoff appearance since 2015, with a win against the Eagles on Sunday night. Smith is expected to play, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. Heinicke will be the backup. Who will start behind the center in the future will be a discussion for a different day. At least now both sides will have a fresh start.