Dwayne Haskins got his first NFL action in the preseason opener on Thursday night. Here’s his overall outlook after the contest.
Washington began its preseason campaign Thursday by taking on the Cleveland Browns on the road. Going into the team’s exhibition matchup, there were many storylines to keep an eye on. But none were bigger than the performance of first-round quarterback Dwayne Haskins. All eyes were locked on the rookie as he made his professional debut.
He did not disappoint.
Haskins has had an up and down training camp through the first three weeks while flashing legit arm talent and signs of real potential. That gave fans of the former Ohio State product, who’s fresh off a 50 touchdown season, a lot of hope of what he could be.
Haskins got his first real game action where the plays were fast, the hits were legit, and the evaluation process jumped to another level. And Haskins rose to the occasion.
Here’s an overview of how the outing went, starting with the good.
The Good
The rookie’ s first play was a play-action pass that resulted in a beautiful 27-yard completion to Darvin Kidsy. He quickly followed up with another downfield completion to Kidsy that ultimately resulted in a fumble.
Haskins flashed his big arm that had him ranked as one of the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft class. His ability to force the ball into tight windows, as well as hit his receivers in stride highlight some of what he showed off in Thursday’s preseason opener.
But Haskins is no one-trick pony. He was able to show his mobility, moving around in the pocket making the first defender miss on multiple occasions. This included a play where Haskins was able to break free from a would-be sack and throw a dart to the end-zone. The play could have been a touchdown, but it was dropped by Cam Sims.
Haskins showed awareness in the pocket as well. That is promising for a young quarterback being able to protect himself. He also was able to tuck and run the ball twice for 17 yards that were capped off with impressive slides to end the plays. And the slides, in particular, should give every Redskins fan a sign of relief.
The Bad
The night wasn’t all great for Dwayne Haskins. The young passer did end up with two interceptions that were clearly a result of his inexperience.
On his first pick, Haskins underthrew a wheel route to Byron Marshall that resulted in a pick-six for Cleveland. It was a throw a veteran QB wouldn’t make, but you have to take the good with the bad when developing a young quarterback.
Haskins’ second pick was a ball thrown into double coverage that sailed over his intended target into the arms of Cleveland’s rookie corner, Greedy Williams. This is another play that will ultimately earn Haskins some grief in the film room tomorrow. Redskins great Joe Theismann said immediately after Haskins second interception that his film from tonight’s game will be “invaluable” for Haskins to watch and learn from.
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Haskins also found himself on the ground a couple of times tonight, one of which was a complete breakdown of the offensive line. However, that may have been the result of Dwayne Haskins changing the protection at the line.
The other times he was sacked seemed to be a result of him holding the ball too long and just taking the hit rather than just throwing it away. While they weren’t necessarily “bad” sacks, they are hits you want any quarterback to avoid for his own safety. Haskins also had a miscue on a false start that appeared to be a confusion in the cadence, per NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay, which has been one of the growing pains for Haskins this spring.
And then a false start. Looked like a mixup with the cadence. Weve seen plenty of that in Richmond.
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) August 9, 2019
The bumps will smooth out over time but tonight highlighted some of the downs in Haskins game thus far into his career.
Breakdown and Grade
You’re going to hear this quite a lot when talking about rookie quarterbacks in the next few weeks.
It’s a process.
Haskins is in no rush to bet he Week 1 starter from an organizational standpoint. There were highs and lows for the new face of the franchise in his first appearance on the big stage, but ultimately, there was more to be excited about than there was to be worried about.
Haskins played only a few drives and against backups. But if there is anything to take away from his first game action, its that the future is very bright for Washington under center. Whether it’s this year or next, Dwayne Haskins should be just fine as he develops at the NFL level.