What the past few weeks tell us about the Redskins

The Redskins have mostly been a disaster this year, but the past few weeks have shown the fans some silver linings in a lost season.

The Washington Redskins have found themselves falling into an odd pattern over the last few weeks. They’re winning games. Of course, no one is ready to plan a parade route for Bill Callahan‘s squad just yet. Two wins against Jeff Driskel‘s rudderless Lions and a victory in Carolina against Kyle Allen that led to the firing of Ron Rivera isn’t much to hang your hat on. So what do these past few weeks mean for the future of the burgundy and gold?

The Redskins are 3-9. They are a lousy football team who have aspirations of picking in the top five for this coming draft. But over the past few weeks, a few patterns have begun to emerge.

This team lacks real All-Pro talent. It’s short a competent front office structure, and its fan base is eroding faster than ever before. But one this is absolutely for sure. This team isn’t quitting.

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The emergence of young talent is finally beginning to surface. Coming off of his second knee injury in as many years, running back Derrius Guice is in the process of confirming to the league why he was a projected first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. It was a Saquon Barkley like run against the Panthers that saw Guice obliterate Shaq Thompson with a battering ram style stiff arm. His upside is something that should make Redskins fans very happy. Rookie receivers Terry McLaurin and Kelvin Harmon are also finding significant ways to contribute on offense.

The structure of a good NFL team relies on foundational young talent. Here is some good news for a season that has gone quite bad. The Redskins do have some solid pieces to rebuild with.

The defense for this squad is improving. Names like Fabian Moreau and Cole Holcomb are growing into reliable playmakers. Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Matt Ioannidis, and Landon Collins are studs who are here to stay. While this season may be a lost one, the past two games have reminded fans that there is still talent to be seen on this team.

Of course, who can forget Dwayne Haskins? No, his performances haven’t been great. They really haven’t even been that good. But growth is happening, whether people choose to see it or not.

Football is a statistical game. At the end of the day, all anyone ever wants to read is fantasy numbers and statistics. But statistically, you won’t see much growth from Haskins. You have to look beyond the numbers to see where Haskins is progression is happening.

Dwayne’s ability to see the field is getting better. His ability to make play calls at the line of scrimmage and shift protection schemes is expanding. His comfort in the pocket is improving with each snap, and his mobility out of the pocket far exceeds what most believed he was capable of coming out of Ohio State.

There’s no other way to put it. 2019 for the Redskins has primarily been a complete and utter tire fire. From losing a coach to the constant clown show surrounding the front office, it’s been hard to find any silver lining to the year.

At the beginning of training camp, I said that the progression of Dwayne Haskins was the X-factor for 2019. That hasn’t changed, regardless of the record. The growth for Haskins is what remains the most essential part of the next month for the Redskins.

Next. What the Redskins could do with Josh Norman. dark

The last few games may not mean much to most Redskins fans. But both wins showed that young talent is on the roster. There may not be a lot of reasons to watch the Redskins this year, but the growth of Dwayne Haskins and the emergence of Derrius Guice and Terry McLaurin should keep you interested. Who know’s what the next few weeks have in store?

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