Some people may think that the Washington Redskins traded for Kyle Allen so that he could take the QB1 role from Dwayne Haskins. Some think that Haskins is a clear-cut favorite in the quarterback competition. Some think that the Redskins will draft a QB with their No. 2 overall pick, though those people are grasping at straws.
In reality, Allen was brought to Washington as a safety net. In an unprecedented offseason, with the near future of the league in question due to the coronavirus, Allen represents someone who knows the offense that will be run in Washington, and he is someone who can step in and fill a hole in Week 1 if need be. Ron Rivera said as much in an interview on Tuesday.
“If we were told, hey, you’ve got two weeks to go, I would feel very comfortable with Kyle,” Rivera said, via Sports Illustrated. “Because here’s a guy that knows the system, has been in the system and could handle it for us for a period of time, and we’ll see how that goes. That’s kind of the thought process behind it for us.”
Hopefully, the Redskins will have more than two weeks of preparation before the 2020 season, and their young players can get acclimated to the new coaching staff in Washington. But still, as a worst-case scenario, the Redskins can lean of Allen to run the system until Haskins is up to speed. Once the two are back on a level playing field, and Haskins is more comfortable with the new system, then the real QB competition will begin. But until that happens, the notion of a frontrunner is clear.
“If that was the situation Kyle would have would have a leg up on the situation, most certainly.”
