Dwayne Haskins was back on the football field under center for the Washington Football Team. Haskins replaced the injured Alex Smith just before halftime against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. It was his first game action since he was benched in October.
Smith exited the game with a strained calf on his surgically-repaired right leg. Haskins was was 7-of-12 passing for 51 yards. Those weren’t overwhelming numbers, but he managed Washington’s halftime lead as the defense carried the team to victory with two defensive touchdowns.
Haskins was overcome with emotional while talking to reporters following the 23-15 win.
“This is probably the biggest amount of adversity I’ve faced since coming into the world…I prayed and prayed again,” Haskins said as his voice began breaking. “I’m just glad that I’m able to be here right now. I’ll tell you guys I’m thankful, that’s all I care about right now.”
After being tabbed the starting quarterback in training camp, Haskins went from starter to third-string after being benched four games into the season. He sat behind Smith and Kyle Allen and was inactive for the next four games before Allen suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 9. He backed up Smith for five games before he was thrust in against the 49ers.
In the meantime, Haskins has been striving to develop and improve into the quarterback he was expected to be when Washington selected him 15th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. He still has a ways to go as evident Sunday. However, just being able to get on the field once again was a grateful experience for the 23-year old.
