It feels as if a new era has subtly begun in Redskins Park.
At the end of the 2018 season, the future of the Washington Redskins was left mired in uncertainty. Jay Gruden’s job was not guaranteed past the end of January, and with Alex Smith‘s football future facing doubt, the Redskins were left with no answers at the sport’s most important position.
The Redskins needed to put together a strong offseason to reset their course, and miraculously, they managed to do just that. The Redskins signed Landon Collins to solidify their secondary, and then proceeded to dominate the 2019 NFL Draft, adding value deals in almost every round.
Now, just months removed from a static state, the Redskins have a quarterback in Dwayne Haskins. The Redskins have new intriguing offensive weapons in Terry McLaurin and Kelvin Harmon. The Redskins have a new starting edge rusher with tremendous potential in Montez Sweat. And the Redskins have a new direction. Now it’s up to them to stay the course.
Washington’s rookie minicamp session took place at the end of last week, and in it, we caught a glimpse of this new era, personified. What kind of impression did Dwayne Haskins set? How did other rookies fare? Let’s take a look.
No. 3 – Montez Sweat’s physical attributes stand out amongst the crowd
He’s 6-foot-6, 260, and ran a 4.41 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. One could have safely assumed that Montez Sweat was going to stand out as a physical specimen at rookie minicamp, but this past week all but confirmed it.
Sweat drew rave reviews from Redskins head coach Jay Gruden, who spoke in awe of Sweat’s potential in a press conference on Saturday afternoon. Gruden, when prompted, spoke about Sweat’s unique combination of burst, length, and strength, a physical tool box that was put on display in workouts this weekend. Here’s what he had to say:
"I have no doubt that [Sweat] is gonna play a lot. Obviously, the skill set that he has is quite evident. You see his length, and then watch him run after practice, and he’s faster than anyone we have right now, honestly. He’s got great length, great speed. Now it’s just a matter of transitioning him into the defense, both base and sub fronts, so we’ll see how he does. Definitely impressed with him and the athletic body of work. Now it’s just a matter of getting him along mentally."
Sweat is a better athlete than Preston Smith was coming out, and he offers a similar blend of length and power at the point of attack, giving him very high heights, in terms of developmental potential. On the end of a defensive front that boasts exciting rushing talents like Matt Ioannidis, Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, and Ryan Kerrigan, Sweat could find an avenue to produce sooner rather than later. His traits stand out amongst other rookies, and they could give him an edge early and often.
No. 2 – Redskins rookie receivers gaining strong chemistry with new quarterback
With both Kirk Cousins and Alex Smith, wide receiver chemistry was an aspect of the Redskins offense that was often dissected with scrutiny. Smith never quite hit his stride with his weapons in ten games, and Kirk Cousins wasn’t immune to miscommunication, either. After DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon left, Cousins never gained that chemistry back from his receivers, and it showed in his 2017 campaign.
Heading into his rookie season with Washington, Haskins is bound to experience some inconsistency in this area. But at rookie minicamp, Haskins displayed an already strong chemistry with his two fellow draft picks at wide receiver: Terry McLaurin and Kelvin Harmon.
The chemistry with McLaurin was strongest, and it makes sense. McLaurin was Haskins’ team mate at Ohio State, and in 2018, McLaurin caught 11 touchdowns from Haskins, churning out over 700 receiving yards. In his press conference, Jay Gruden spoke to the impact that having a familiar face could have for a rookie quarterback.
"Just the comfort level, having a guy here that you know, and you’re comfortable with. You know, Dwayne’s a great guy; he gets along with everybody. But to have a guy that you can talk to, hang out at lunch with at the first day of school, so to speak, I think it’s just a comfort level [thing]. And you can see, they have a natural relationship, throwing and catching the ball with the routes. Terry was very impressive in these two days with his speed and ability to get off the jams, and make plays down the field. Easy guy to throw to. Fast, and kind of big."
Gruden also spoke highly of Kelvin Harmon, likening the sixth-round pick and potential wide receiver steal to Mohamed Sanu, an offensive weapon with whom Gruden is familiar, having worked with him in Cincinnati in 2012 and 2013. Sanu has been a model of consistency in the league despite lacking speed, logging 2,194 yards over his past three seasons, and Gruden thinks Harmon can have a similar impact, with both reliability and versatility.
"You know, when you watch [Kelvin Harmon] on tape, you don’t realize how big he is. He doesn’t look that big on tape, but when you watch him in person, man, he’s got great arm length, he’s tall, he looks every bit like 6-foot-2, 6-foot-3. And he plays to his size. He’s a very quarterback-friendly target. Learning the system for the first time, the route concepts, all the different cuts we gave him, I think he handled it quite well, mentally. Now it’s just a matter of continuing to add to his plate, working both inside and outside. He didn’t do a lot of inside work at NC State, but I think there’s a place for him where he can work on the inside. Very similar to Mo Sanu. Very similar skill set, in my opinion."
Gruden likes Harmon, and so does Dwayne Haskins. Haskins has already taken to calling Harmon “Baby Julio”, in reference to Julio Jones. No one should expect Harmon to provide that kind of impact, but it’s clear that Haskins is building chemistry with his targets quickly, and his rookie targets are earning his confidence. As we’ve seen in years past, a quarterback’s confidence in his options can go a long way.
No. 1 – Dwayne Haskins’ path to the starting job is growing more clear
Many have speculated whether or not Dwayne Haskins will start right away at quarterback for the Washington Redskins. There are legitimate arguments for both sides, but the conflict is nullified if Haskins learns quickly enough. Judging from Jay Gruden’s enthusiasm for Haskins early on, the former Buckeye appears to be well on his way.
Gruden referred to Haskins as a “bright guy” in his press conference, and conceded that he was very impressed with the progress Haskins has made in the early goings of his first NFL offseason. When asked about the chances of Haskins starting in Week 1, as opposed to Case Keenum or Colt McCoy, Gruden had this to say.
"We’re gonna go at it, throw the ball out there, and let these guys compete. [Haskins] obviously displayed enough of a skill set to warrant the 15th pick in the draft, and to give him an opportunity to see how far he can take this thing. Been impressed with the other quarterbacks we have here. Case [Keenum] has done an excellent job, in the little bit we’ve seen of him, and Colt [McCoy]’s obviously rehabbing. Josh [Woodrum] has done a good job as well. So, it’s a good group, and competition will be there."
Gruden spoke in more detail later on about the specific strides Haskins has made, saying that Haskins, in a short amount of time, showed the ability to make all the throws, and presented himself as a “big, fundamentally sound quarterback”. It’s early, but if Haskins keeps progressing at the pace he’s set early on, he has more natural ability than both Keenum and McCoy, and as long as he’s ready, giving him starting reps early is the best way to catalyze further development. There will be inconsistency. There will be rough moments. But as long as Haskins is far enough along mentally, those rough moments contribute to the learning process better than a bench.
Shortly after he was selected, there was speculation over whether or not Haskins was ready to start right away. Some, including yours truly, pegged him as the most pro-ready quarterback in the NFL Draft, despite his young age, and in the first glance received at rookie minicamp, he lived up to that reputation. Time will tell if he can fulfill it, in its entirety.