Dwayne Haskins is the future of the Washington Redskins. And his future is bright. Arguably the highest ceiling of any quarterback taken in this year’s NFL Draft. He may indeed be Washington’s first franchise quarterback in over 30 years, however, on Sunday Redskins’ head coach Jay Gruden named veteran Case Keenum the starting quarterback for Week 1 of the regular season.
Effectively, Gruden’s decision parks the excitement of Haskins and the future of the Redskins. It’s a decision that has split opinion of fans. Some want Haskins to start right away. It’s hard to argue when you see the kid throw a precise pass. The velocity that comes with his throws hasn’t been seen in decades from a QB wearing a Redskins uniform.
However, there are a fair share of fans that understand Gruden’s decision. Haskins is raw, still needs to get accustomed to life as an NFL quarterback — protection calls, audibles, just understanding the more complex defensive looks and concepts of the NFL. And that’s why it’s best to park the excitement of seeing the ‘Chosen One’ for at least the foreseeable future.
Beyond Haskins’ development there are other variables that point to Keenum starting that’s best for the long-term success of the Redskins and Haskins.
The Left Side of the Redskins’ Offensive Line Is in Shambles
The left side of the Redskins’ offensive line is in shambles. Cornerstone left tackle Trent Williams is entrenched in a holdout that started with mandatory mini-camp in June and continued through training camp and three weeks of preseason. By all accounts, there is no end in sight, at least not with him returning to the Redskins.
In his absence the Redskins have tried to turn to Plan B, Plan C, and Plan D. Ereck Flowers opened training camp as the starting left tackle. That was a disaster just as much as he was with the Giants and Jaguars. Geron Christian, the third-round pick of 2018, returned from his torn MCL from last November, however, he has struggled mightily.
The team has signed Donald Penn, a 36-year old veteran who was still available as training camp started. Penn took a couple of weeks to get in game shape and move to the first-team left tackle ahead of Christian. However, keep in mind he lost his starting job to a rookie last year in Oakland and then suffered a season-ending groin injury in Week 4 while at right tackle.
Flowers has been moved to left guard, another position of need along the Redskins’ offensive line. That’s been better than him at left tackle, but it’s still a work in progress. Against the Falcons last week, Flowers got a holding penalty that negated a Derrius Guice touchdown on the goal line. Then he whiffed on a pass block that nearly got Keenum creamed by the pass rush.
Trusting a 36-year old left tackle that is well past his prime and a first-round bust trying a new position to protect the future of the franchise is not ideal. Especially considering, Haskins is still struggling with getting out of huddles quickly, scanning and reading the defense, and changing protection calls.
Remember, Haskins’ best play of this preseason was while he had a pass rusher draped on around his waist as he rifled a 55-yard touchdown to wide receiver Robert Davis against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 of the preseason. Yes, Haskins made the right pass protection on that play, however, he has struggled at other times. The TD pass to Davis still hard to watch considering he got hit. He won’t always may the right read as a rookie, and one hiccup with B and C-level blockers in front of him could be disastrous for him and the Redskins’ future.
The Redskins have a brutal start to the 2019 schedule, facing the Eagles, Cowboys, Bears, and Patriots in four of their first five games. The first three games are against three of the best pass rushes in the NFL. And then there’s Bill Belichick and his masterful scheme that would eat a rookie quarterback for lunch. Why on earth would a team throw their future away through such a daunting stretch that gets harder without Trent Williams?
Jay Gruden Is Coaching for His Job
Five seasons in Washington has only produced one division title and one playoff game for Gruden. Most NFL coaches with similar resumes don’t get a sixth season like Gruden has. Already he has the best odds to be the first head coach to be fired this season in the NFL.
First-round rookie quarterbacks usually come with new head coaches. Picking Haskins with the 15th pick was for the future of the Redskins. Gruden is focused on the now.
A rookie quarterback behind a suspect offensive line is never a recipe for success. Gruden has no control over if Williams comes back to man left tackle. He most likely had nothing to do with the fact Williams isn’t there. All Gruden can control is what he can, and that’s trying to put his team in the best position to win.
For a coach fighting for his job with a potentially terrible offensive line — on the left side at least — Keenum is best the team.
Case Keenum Actually Gives Redskins Best Chance This Year
One can argue the only way Gruden saves his job is to win this year. Keenum is the best choice to do such. He has the most game experience and more NFL starts than Haskins and Colt McCoy, the other veteran QB on the Redskins’ roster, combined.
McCoy has been hampered by a broken leg he suffered last December not healing smoothly. He hasn’t played in a preseason game, and is in jeopardy of missing the start of the regular season as he has yet to be cleared to play. With McCoy out, the Redskins’ quarterback competition came down to two players. And Keenum has outplayed Haskins throughout the preseason, like it or not.
Having a coach on the hot seat complicates the chances of a rookie starting Day 1. Keenum has won in the NFL, especially when he has a perfect mesh of talent and and offense that suits his needs. The Redskins have that sans the left side of the offensive line.
The Redskins have few weaknesses on their defense — inside linebackers. They could be a strong defensive unit that could keep them in more ball games than anticipated. They need a QB that has limited mistakes. Keenum presents that with McCoy out indefinitely with his leg.
Are the Redskins as talented as the 2017 Minnesota Vikings that Keenum guided to one game away from the Super Bowl? Probably not, but they could be as close at it comes. They have a young group of wide receivers, but more importantly a run game that could be lethal behind Adrian Peterson, Derrius Guice, and Chris Thompson. And Guice and Thompson’s pass catching abilities can alleviate pressure of the offensive line and Keenum.
Starting Dwayne Haskins Now Does Him No Justice
Beautiful passes aside, Haskins is not ready. Throwing him in the line of fire now does injustice to him and the future of the Redskins. Everything points to it, the offensive line, expectations of the team’s season, and the fact Jay Gruden could be in his last year as head coach.
Haskins is best to sit and learn. He will have McCoy to teach him barring any unforeseen roster move. Haskins will also have the injured Alex Smith in his ear all season. Smith played a huge part in the development of Kansas City Chiefs’ QB Patrick Mahomes, who coincidentally sat majority of his rookie season behind Smith before exploding to an MVP season in his second season in the NFL.
The Redskins haven’t quite understood through the years what to do with first-round picks of theirs. Whether it was Heath Shuler, Patrick Ramsey, Jason Campbell or Robert Griffin III, the Redskins in a large way failed their homegrown QBs. All of which may have played too early for their development on teams not quite ready to compete as contenders. And they did so in most cases with lame duck coaches or coaches needing to win now over the future and well-being of the franchise.
Do we want to see history repeat itself? Or let Haskins wait for the start, much or all of his rookie season?
Let him wait out Gruden’s situation. Let him learn basic concepts of the NFL to better prepare him for his turn, albeit Keenum stays healthy. No question, Haskins will be the Week 1 starter in 2020, with or without Gruden as his head coach. Bruce Allen and owner Dan Snyder will make sure of it.
Letting Haskins wait on how Gruden and the left tackle situations play out is best for him and the Redskins. Those are two huge areas of concern that should be addressed before Haskins is dubbed the permanent starting QB. We’ve seen the hopes of a savior be dashed due to poor care from the organization. Now that they want to take their time with such a prized possession, let’s not change opinion.
