Redskins QB Dwayne Haskins excited to rise to Rivera’s challenge

In his first comments on Dwayne Haskins, Redskins head coach Ron Rivera struck a cautious balance between optimism and realism.

The new head coach of the Washington Redskins did not unequivocally commit to Haskins as a long-term starting quarterback, but laid out a road map Haskins could use to win over the hearts of his new coaches. Rivera seems excited to work with Haskins, but he made it clear that Haskins has to keep improving, and not become complacent.

Now that Haskins has matured a bit since entering the league at the start of 2019, he’s not taking Rivera’s challenge lightly. And he’s excited himself. When asked about Rivera’s desire for Haskins to take on a greater role as a leader, Haskins had this to say, speaking at a Redskins charity event at the National Children’s Museum. NBC Sports’ Pete Hailey first documented the quotes.

"That’s cool. I’m just going to have to work hard and eventually take it over. Just do your best to be accountable for what you have to do and be ready to go. [Rivera’s] a guy who’s going to hold you accountable and make sure you put the work in. I’m all for that, so I’m excited. I’m excited talking to him, talking to Scott [Turner]. I’m excited to actually do football things with those guys and I feel like we’re going to do a lot of great things together."

Haskins’ first year wasn’t a sweeping success, as the rookie struggled early on, with little confidence from the coaches and little consistency in his role. He saw some spot duty, swapping with Case Keenum a few times before finally taking the starting job for good in Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills.

As a full-time starter for the Redskins, Haskins was proficient, and showed quick growth over a brief seven-game stretch. In those games, Haskins completed 107 of 181 passes for 1,225 yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions. He displayed solid physical traits with his arm talent and functional mobility, and displayed progression mentally from week to week as well.

The advanced stats support this notion as well. Per Pro Football Focus’ Nick Akridge, Haskins was, from Week 9 to Week 17, first place among rookies with a passing grade of 73.3, second among rookies in big time throws with eight, and first in least turnover-worthy passes with only three.

There’s still a long way to go for the Ohio State product, but the fact that he rebounded amidst dysfunctional environmental factors to finish 2019 strong is a good sign. And the fact that he isn’t shrinking against Rivera’s challenge is an even better indicator of what might be to come.