The Washington Football team have released their former first-round quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. following the Week 16 loss to the Carolina Panthers 20–13 at home.
What does this mean for Haskins Jr.? And more importantly, what does this mean for Washington moving forward?
Haskins Jr:
Dwayne Haskins Jr was selected with the 15th pick overall in the 2019 draft after throwing 50 plus touchdowns at Ohio State. People believed he was the best quarterback in the draft class and were stunned after Daniel Jones was taken before him by the New York Giants. It is safe to say that Danny Dimes got the last laugh. Haskins Jr. started in 13 games with a record of 3–10, 12 touchdowns, 2,804 yards, and 14 interceptions to go along with it. His stats fell short of expectations; however, this is not the sole reason Haskins Jr. was released. After last Sunday’s Week 15 loss against the Seahawks, an image leaked of Haskins Jr. at a strip club with no mask on. This behavior is simply inexcusable, and the only reason Haskins Jr. started week 16 was due to the lack of options Washington had. You would think that a young quarterback who got a second chance to prove his worth would care a little more about his team. Not to mention this incident was Haskins’s second time breaking the team’s’ Covid’ 19 protocols. I hope it was worth it for Haskins because that night out cost him his job in the NFL for this season. Even though Haskins Jr has had his fair share of obstacles in the league so far, I think he will get a second chance somewhere. Remember, he is still a young man trying to figure everything out. Also, Haskins still has an amazing arm, great talent, and shows a lot of potential.
I have made a list of three teams where I personally would like to see him go this offseason:
Pittsburgh Steelers
I would love to see Haskins Jr. get his second chance in Pittsburgh. Not only does Haskins and Big Ben have very similar tendencies, but Big Ben is old and likely to not be in the league for a long time. If the Steelers sign Haskins Jr. and develop him under Big Ben and head coach Mike Tomlin, they could be looking at something dangerous in years to come. Keep in mind, Tomlin has no tolerance for off-field drama, so Haskins Jr. will need to dive deep and sacrifice everything else for the development of his game and his future in the NFL.
2. Detroit Lions
I think Haskins would be a great fit in Detroit backing up veteran QB Matt Stafford. Stafford is a great quarterback who could teach Dwayne a few things about the game. The Lions currently have Chase Daniel as their backup, who is older than Stafford. I think the Lions are likely to switch things up at quarterback at some point before Stafford’s contract runs out. (2023 season). Dwayne could serve as a backup, learn a few things, and maybe work his way into the QB 1 position if Stafford is hurt, traded, or retires. Haskins and Stafford have a similar play style and could benefit one another in the quarterback room.
3. Seattle Seahawks
Again, similar to the Lions, I think Haskins would be a good fit here solely to be the backup quarterback. Russel Wilson rarely gets hurt, fortunately for Seattle, however, if he were to get injured the Seahawks would play Geno Smith. Haskins Jr would be a better option to Seattle than Geno Smith. Seattle has a solid offensive line and good deep threats; I could see Dwayne fitting well with their offense and Pete Carrol. Haskins deep ball to young star receiver DK Metcalf would be an amazing sight!
Washington Football Team:
As for The Washington Football Team and their Week 17 must-win matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, pray that Alex Smith will play. Even though Haskins replacement, Taylor Heinicke played very well in the fourth quarter, I am not confident that he can get the job done in a must-win potential playoff-clinching game. Smith is the best option, and if he plays, I feel confident in Washington getting the job done in week 17, and actually having a chance to win in their wildcard matchup.
As for the offseason and the draft, I think they should wait on a quarterback and use their first-round pick to draft a tight end or an offensive lineman. If a quarterback with the first-round talent falls to the second or third, then Washington should pull the trigger. The 2021 draft class has a lot of talented quarterbacks, I am thinking on the lines of Kyle Trask (Florida), Mac Jones (Alabama), or Kellen Mond (Texas A&M). If one of these quarterbacks are drafted by Washington in the second or third round, I think they would fit well into Washington and develop a ton under Alex Smith. If one of these options is not available, I would be happy if Washington drafted a linebacker, cornerback, or offensive lineman in the second or third round and wait until the 2022 draft before selecting another quarterback. Again, Alex Smith is locked in until 2022, so if Washington stays patient, they could get a new quarterback weapon from the draft, trade, or with an offseason sign in 2022. Even though Haskins Jr did not work out for Washington, I am excited about their future under Ron Rivera. Their defense is young and talented, and their offense is starting to come together under the help of receiver Terry McLaurin and rookie running back Antonio Gibson. I am excited to see what Washington will do in an attempt to fill in the quarterback position.
Hail to the WFT and hopefully they clinch a playoff berth this Sunday night!
Thanks for reading. Happy New Years.