When second-year QB Dwayne Haskins was pulled from the starting lineup earlier this week and moved to the QB3 spot on the roster, likely making him inactive this week, it seemed that his time in Washington was all but over.
However, it’s sounding like head coach Ron Rivera has not completely given up hope on the young QB just yet, and there may still be a future for him in the Burgundy & Gold. With Kyle Allen named the starter, Rivera’s main reasoning for the move was to give the team a chance to compete for the NFC East division title and take a chance at the playoffs. While Allen gives them a better opportunity to do that, there’s no saying who might be the prospect with the higher ceiling down the road.
Ron Rivera on Dwayne Haskins: "By no means have I given up on him. I'm doing what I did because of circumstances that we're in."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) October 9, 2020
Rivera said earlier this week that these next four-five weeks will be crucial for Washington, and it will likely decide how the rest of their season plays out, with three division games on the schedule. Should Washington be able to win a handful of those, they’ll be in a great spot to make a run at the playoffs. If not, they could easily slip back into rebuilding mode.
Might Haskins move back into the starting lineup if that’s the case? Rivera’s comments about not giving up on him seem to suggest as much, and they could absolutely give him the experience and reps that he needs near the back end of this season to grow and develop if things don’t pan out the way they were supposed to under Allen.
It may be a long shot, but it’s worth keeping an eye on.
