A day after saying he was sticking with Dwayne Haskins and taking his lumps, Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera admitted there is a “cut-off point” of his support for the second-year quarterback.
“There are guys in that locker room that are playing well enough for us to win,” Rivera said per Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post. “And again, we have to make sure everyone is playing well enough for us to win at that point. And there is a cut-off point for me. There is.”
Haskins threw three interceptions in Sunday’s 34-20 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland’s offense scored touchdowns following each of Haskins’ interceptions. The three Browns touchdowns occurred in a span of nine plays and 87 yards.
Despite subpar play, Haskins had avoided turning over the football in the first two games of the season. Playing safe on his reads while protecting the football. However against the Browns, he forced passes through tight windows and stared down his receivers in the process.
On Sunday, Rivera revealed he told Haskins “I’m behind you.”
While he stressed Haskins is still learning, Rivera also admitted at some point “you’re no longer a rookie.”
This season, Haskins has completed 56.4% of his passes which is second-worst in the NFL only behind Denver Broncos backup quarterback Jeff Driskel. His 28.3 QBR is the worst in the league and he is the lowest-graded QB, according to Pro Football Focus.
Washington’s backup quarterback is Kyle Allen, who they traded a fifth-round pick to acquire from the Carolina Panthers. Allen played two seasons under Rivera and offensive coordinator Scott Turner in Carolina, starting 12 games last season.
There’s also Alex Smith, who attempting an improbable comeback after suffering a career-threatening leg injury in 2018. Smith has progressed splitting scout team reps with Allen. Rivera previously said he sees the “rust coming off” Smith in practice.
This was supposed to be Haskins’ year to show maturation and progression from his rookie season. Yet, three weeks into the season, he has not taken the steps expected to prove he is a franchise-caliber quarterback. Rivera is willing to give him a chance, but there’s a “cut-off point” to benching Haskins if he does not show improvement soon.
