The Redskins did not know it. Not yet. But on the night of the 2019 NFL Draft, their fate would be set in motion by an NFC East rival.
“With the sixth pick in the 2019 NFL Draft… the New York Giants select… Daniel Jones.”
Dwayne Haskins didn’t look up from his phone. While jeers erupted from family and friends around him, and while the analysts on the screen ahead fawned over New York’s next franchise passer, Haskins didn’t look. He smirked, shook his head, and crossed the Giants off his list. Next.
Did it bother Haskins, the Heisman finalist, that the team who’d met with him at the combine, and the team who’d hosted him on a private visit in the lead-up to the draft, had passed him over? The team that had supposedly seen who he was, and what he could do? The team that couldn’t afford to miss with the No. 6 pick?
If it did bother him, Haskins didn’t show it. He knew another opportunity would come.
The picks kept coming, and Haskins’ name continued to fall. Would the Steelers, with Ben Roethlisberger wandering toward twilight, anoint his successor at No. 10 after trading up? No. They took Devin Bush. Would the Bengals, with a new regime, proffer the next era to their city with the selection of Haskins? No. They chose Jonah Williams. Would the Dolphins, the equivalent of ashes before the phoenix, take Haskins to pilot their resurrection? No. The Dolphins picked Christian Wilkins.
By the time the Washington Redskins were on the clock, everyone knew who the pick was going to be. It could only be one name. And when Roger Goodell walked onto the stage and mounted at the podium, he confirmed the suspicions of millions.
The Redskins chose Dwayne Haskins.
And in the words of Haskins himself, “the league done messed up”.
Listen to Redskins QB Dwayne Haskins speak, and you’ll hear no hesitation.
Confronted by a reporter at his draft party, met with questions about his selection to Washington, Haskins could have been overwhelmed by emotion in the moment. He could have been transfixed with shock, or immersed in the immediate celebration. But instead, Haskins turned to the NFL, and he gave them a warning.
Haskins is direct. He’s a quick thinker, and it shows. Whether it’s at a draft party, or while discussing a play from his sophomore season at Ohio State on live television, Haskins’ response is immediate. He knows what he’s thinking, and he knows what he’s going to say, every time. It’s the kind of clarity a quarterback was meant to have.
That clarity translates to confidence for Haskins. He put the league on notice at the NFL Draft. When asked about why he liked film studies at Redskins camp, per Kyle Stockpole of Redskins.com, Haskins responded “I just don’t like defenses, so I want to be the most prepared to rip them apart”. Haskins knows how to be brief. He knows how to catch your attention, but you can tell he knows what he’s talking about. They’re not just empty words. Haskins will deliver.
There’s a certain measure to Haskins’ confidence. It’s not too much. It’s not too little. It’s just right. It flows out naturally. It’s the kind of confidence teams look for in their franchise quarterback, and it’s the kind of confidence that could help the Redskins transcend their current form. But as Haskins knows, and will continue to learn, there’s a certain weight that comes with being a quarterback in Washington. A weight many have tried and failed to hoist.
One could argue it’s been thirty years since the Redskins had their last franchise quarterback, and one could argue it’s been even longer.
Over the unforgiving course of Dan Snyder’s tenure as owner, the Redskins have continuously attempted to institute stability at the quarterback position. That saga has, however, instead erected a list of failures to reference. A list of names who tried, but ultimately didn’t.
By now, the list spans thirty years, and it is non-discriminatory. It features first-round picks like Heath Shuler, Patrick Ramsey, Jason Campbell, and Robert Griffin III. Journeymen such as Gus Frerotte and Kirk Cousins. High-pedigree offseason acquisitions like Mark Brunell, Donovan McNabb, and Alex Smith.
All of these players reside on the list for different reasons. Some circumstances of failure were less fortunate than others. Some may have flourished, if given more time to prove themselves. But once the name becomes stone, it does not change back. And it adopts the weight of stone itself, each one growing more and more taxing, on the backs of fans who long for some kind of hope. Any hope at all.
Haskins, for now, is the next name on that list. He hasn’t succeeded yet. And while he has the traits to do so, the weight can overwhelm anyone. By 2021, the Redskins could speak of their quarterback position as a need again. As if they hadn’t done the same for years and years before.
There’s one thing that makes Haskins different, however.
Haskins has the confidence. He has a good enough arm to make NFL throws. He has the quick-working, all-encompassing mind of a signal caller. He has the production. One glimpse at his resume, and one could assume he’s destined to turn D.C. to gold.
But players with all the traits have failed before. Robert Griffin III had the speed, playmaking ability, and the intangibles. Jason Campbell had the size and the arm. What makes Haskins different, is this.
Dwayne Haskins wants the weight on his shoulders.
For some quarterbacks, the weight of a lost city can be too much. On top of the clunky pads, the pasty sweat, and the warm stick of grime. But not for Haskins. For Haskins, it’s a counterweight. A city to save, balancing his desire to help. It’s the assignment he’s been waiting for. He told the Redskins to pick him. He wanted the challenge.
In a small moment on draft night, Haskins visualized this desire. When the Giants passed him over for Daniel Jones of Duke, with the No. 6 pick in the NFL Draft. Haskins met the move with a shrug, and a smirk. He was ready to be the one in New York. Now, he’s the one they chose not to pick. And he’s ready to be the one choice they regret.
For now, the debate will rest on whether or not Haskins should start. But once he inevitably takes the field, the debate will evolve. Expectations will soar past their already astronomical heights, and people will etch Haskins’ name on the edge of the list. Juxtaposing this rookie with the monument to the franchise’s eternal sorrow. Waiting to put his name in stone, with the rest of them.
Whether Haskins can form his own legacy, however, is ultimately up to him. He wanted the weight of the world on his shoulders. And now, he has it.