When Ron Rivera benched quarterback Dwayne Haskins nearly two months ago, he was looking for maturity and growth from the Washington Football Team quarterback. In that time, Haskins hasn’t played in the past seven games. Thus, his development is unseen to the public eye, leading to speculation of the 23-year old’s attitude and work ethic following his benching.
On Friday, Rivera explained Haskins has “really grown” in the last month.
“Dwayne has really grown, I really do think in the last month in terms of things we talked about wanting to see him understand,” Rivera said per The Athletic’s Ben Standig. “The young man is a talent. He’s got an arm that’s an NFL talent, and he’s learning the rest of it.”
Haskins was inactive the first four games following his benching ahead of Week 5. Meanwhile, he was subjected to trade rumors and recently was elevated to the backup QB role only after Kyle Allen’s season-ending injury. Now he sits behind Smith, who is playing for the first time since suffering a career-threatening leg injury two years.
Still, the 2019 first-round draft pick has been able to maintain a positive attitude and is learning to become a better professional football player. A small glimpse into his growth was seen Thursday during Washington’s 41-16 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
A clip of Haskins rushing down the sidelines to lift Smith back to his feet following a quarterback scramble went viral. This adds to reports of him putting in extra film study and working out with receivers after practice.
Rivera has long contended he has not quit on Haskins. He may not be playing right now, but it appears Haskins is checking all the boxes to get back in good favor with his head coach.
