Ron Rivera and the Washington Redskins made headlines on Thursday when they announced that the team would meet with both Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa ahead of the NFL Draft, possibly looking to draft one of them to take over the team going forward.
Whether you think it’s a good idea or not for the Redskins to consider this possibility, you have to consider what that notion says to Dwayne Haskins, the QB Washington picked in the first round of last year’s draft. In essence, Haskins is the current girlfriend who just opened up the boyfriend’s phone to find the Tinder app placed prominently on the home page. It may not mean anything, but it can’t be a fun discovery to have.
Rivera wants to be clear; he didn’t mean to cast doubt on Haskins, and he doesn’t think that the young QB will take it that way either.
“I think Dwayne is smart enough to understand,” Rivera said, via NBC Sports Washington. “I really do. It’s been a neat development of a relationship right now between he and I. I think the one thing that I really do appreciate is his hard work already. And I think that’s what everybody needs, to just take a step back and understand that all we’re doing is our due diligence.”
If it is just due diligence, and Haskins is aware of that, then no harm, no foul. However, that much isn’t completely clear. It was reported on Friday that the meetings were more than just due diligence, and the Redskins were actually kicking the tires on Tua Tagovailoa. ESPN’s Mel Kiper went as far as to suggest Washington pit Tua and Haskins in a QB battle this summer, trading away whoever doesn’t come out on top. We think this would be a mistake.
“I think if this is something that’s bothering him, he’ll say it,” Rivera said. “But he’s a mature, young man who’s just growing in his role. I just think that everybody needs to just relax and let us go through our process.”
Regardless of what happens, the Redskins will be left dealing with Haskins, and how he feels he was treated through it all could have major ramifications going forward. Rivera says their relationship is solid, and he “was just chatting” with the girl at the coffee shop. Haskins may buy it, but his recent social media activity could say otherwise…
It could mean nothing, or it could mean everything. We’ll probably never know.
