It won’t be Jay Gruden’s decision alone when it comes to whether Dwayne Haskins starts the season opener for the Washington Redskins.
While the first-round passer seems to have all the tools necessary to start at the NFL level instantly, the reality is Redskins brass could feel more comfortable taking their time and instead throwing veteran Case Keenum out there.
Doug Williams has recently said the decision will come down to the entirety of the front office, which as JP Finlay of NBC Sports points out, will include owner Dan Snyder:
Williams said that will be a group decision, and the group includes ownership Dan Snyder. No position in football draws more interest from ownership than a rookie quarterback, and that’s across the NFL. Fans would be naive to think otherwise. But there were also numerous reports that Allen and Snyder wanted the Redskins to draft Haskins, and Williams said that both men will be involved in deciding when the rookie QB starts.
At the end of the day, one would think Gruden might have final say on a decision like this.
But there is a catch — the folks above Gruden have to think beyond Gruden. And letting a quarterback sit for a year while they learn isn’t too uncommon of a strategy. Neither is it uncommon to see a first-year passer thrown to the wolves struggle right away.
In reality, this will probably be a bigger collaboration than it seems right now. If Gruden doesn’t think Haskins is ready, the call is easy. If he does, things should get more interesting.
