Redskins QB Dwayne Haskins putting in the work in the 2020 offseason

There’s been plenty of consternation surrounding the Redskins quarterback situation for 2020, but inside Redskins Park, there appears to be less vitriol.

Washington Redskins head coach Ron Rivera has been consistent in his message from the start, in regards to the Redskins quarterback situation. He established in his opening press conference that he felt Dwayne Haskins had franchise quarterback upside, but the incumbent rookie needed to take on more of a leadership role in 2020.

Scott Turner reflected that tone when he spoke on the Ohio State product after his hiring, expressing his excitement to work with the talented passer, whom he felt had the traits necessary to flourish in Turner’s new offense. There’s still a lot of learning that needs to be done before Haskins is where he needs to be, but it appears as though Haskins is taking this opportunity and running with it.

Behind the scenes, Haskins appears to be working just as hard. According to ESPN’s John Keim, and corroborated by Redskins Today, “multiple people within the Redskins building” are impressed with how much Haskins has been around, and how invested he’s been in trying to get better. Here’s the full quote from Keim, who divulged on his John Keim report podcast, courtesy of The Redskins Wire:

"Everything I’ve heard about him this offseason has been good. From multiple people — Rivera said it publicly — but I’ve heard privately people talk about how much he’s been in the building, and how much he’s interacting with teammates. One defensive player told an acquaintance that he almost never talked to Dwayne during the season last year. He was indifferent to the rookie QB — not that he disliked him, just indifferent. Now, he’s gotten to know him well, and he really likes him. Now the players are starting to see the work that he’s putting in, and trust me, that makes a world of difference, because it’s a continuation of what they saw at the end of the year, and I think that’s important."

Haskins showed both flashes and room for growth in his rookie season, both as a player and a leader. Leaving the college game as a redshirt sophomore, it was evident early on that Haskins would need some time to go through the maturation process. The instability of the Redskins situation in 2019 was detrimental to Haskins’ initial growth, but once he was given the starting role and the confidence that came with it, he showed progress, improving with each week up to the season finale.

Haskins ended the 2019 season on a positive note, but there were still questions hovering, perhaps unfairly, about his work ethic and commitment to his role in the NFL. Now, it seems as though he’s growing with time, and putting more stock in the opportunity he has with a new coaching staff. Perhaps that’s what should have been expected all along.