Dwayne Haskins will remain the Redskins starter for the rest of 2019

The Redskins have made an official personnel change at the quarterback position.

At the start of the bye week, a report came out presuming that the Washington Redskins would start rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins for the team’s Week 11 game against the 2-7 New York Jets. The report was widely presented as an official release, but it was only the expectation around the league that Haskins would start.

Now, pursuant to Bill Callahan’s first press conference of the new week, we have official confirmation that Dwayne Haskins will be the Redskins starter for Week 11. And onward. Per ESPN’s John Keim, Callahan announced during his press conference that Haskins will remain the Redskins starting quarterback for the rest of the 2019 season.

Callahan stated that the reason for waiting so long to announce was that he wanted to visit the Redskins two veteran quarterbacks about the decision before revealing it to the public. It’s unfortunate that Case Keenum’s starting stint with the Redskins ended due to injury, but the Redskins spent a first-round pick on Dwayne Haskins, so it only makes sense that they invest the remaining regular season reps into his development. This is the best way forward for the team.

Haskins, while not perfect, displayed growth in his first NFL start against the Buffalo Bills. In the outing, he threw for 144 yards and 15 completions on 22 attempts. In the process, he showcased a better command of the line, and displayed mental growth both as a thrower and as an operator of the offense. Haskins will now be able to use the final seven games to keep building on his progress, so that the team can enter the offseason with a plan in mind to support him.

This seven-game stretch will also give us a longer window to see Haskins work with Kevin O’Connell as the offensive coordinator. The two have shown a rapport in the past, and perhaps as Haskins gains more experience, the offense will open up to him more and more.