The Redskins didn’t realistically expect to be competitive in 2019, but Washington’s season has gone completely off the rails through four weeks of the regular season. After falling behind the Giants last week, coach Jay Gruden benched starting quarterback Case Keenum for first-round pick Dwayne Haskins – who proceeded to struggle and throw three interceptions against the Giants defense.
Gruden has been criticized both by local and national media members for not adequately preparing Haskins and setting his rookie QB up to fail, but it has also been reported that Gruden was against drafting Haskins in the first place, and has been under pressure by ownership to turn to the 22-year-old. Last Friday, Haskins called a report of a rift in the front office over his future “fake news.”
The Redskins’ schedule has complicated matters further. On Sunday, the undefeated New England Patriots will visit FedEx field, meaning whoever starts at QB for the Redskins will face arguably the best defense Bill Belichick has put together.
Starting Haskins in a such a situation could be a disaster for his development, so Gruden announced on Friday that he’s turning to third-stringer Colt McCoy, who is 1-5 in his career as a Redskins starter.
On the same day Gruden named McCoy the starter, videos of a man who appears to be Gruden smoking outside of a bar went viral on Twitter. It’s unclear when the videos were recorded, and the Redskins did not issue a statement on the matter.
TK
Good luck, Colt.
