The Washington Redskins named rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins as the backup last week, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t preparing like a starter. While Case Keenum leads the offense onto the field Sunday to start the 2019 season for the Redskins, Haskins will likely be on the sideline with a clipboard, going through the mental reps.
Washington’s offensive coordinator, Kevin O’Connell, said the team’s plan is to spend extra time with Haskins early this season, making sure he is prepared to take over if need be. With a streaky player like Keenum ahead of him, the rookie could be thrown into the deep end at any moment, at which point it’s sink-or-swim.
Keenum was brought into the organization this summer with the label of a stopgap quarterback, and he had to have known that he wasn’t in the team’s long-term plans. However, this admission from O’Connell shows that he’s playing on a shorter leash than most might have thought, and Washington could pull the cord at any moment.
