Redskins confident in Dwayne Haskins, virtual installment of offense

The 2020 NFL Draft is by far the biggest story at the moment, but once it’s completed, the focus will quickly turn to how the newly-drafted prospects will acclimate to the NFL, amidst a pandemic.

For the Washington Redskins, this issue takes on added weight, as the Redskins are still in the midst of an organization-wide overhaul. They’re past the initial stages at this point, but tonight, Ron Rivera and Kyle Smith will enter their first NFL Draft in the same room, and once that’s over, they’ll have to figure out how exactly to bring their new players along.

While there is some natural unfamiliarity in this situation, however, things are reportedly going smoothly for the Redskins so far. Per NBC Sports reporter Julie Donaldson, the Redskins have been implementing Scott Turner’s new offense through virtual meetings, and according to Donaldson, things are going well. Donaldson specifically mentioned Dwayne Haskins, remarking that the Redskins “have no doubts” about Haskins being able to pick up the new offense.

Much was made of Haskins’ progress in Jay Gruden’s offense last year, as there were reports that Haskins had struggled to adopt that offense in the early goings of his career. This offseason should provide Haskins with a more stable situation in which to learn, however, and it appears as though his coaching staff is fully invested in his development, though we won’t get an official answer on that front until the Redskins pass on a quarterback in Round 1 tonight.

It’s still not a guarantee that there will be a 2020 regular season, as hard as that is to admit, but amidst this uncertainty, the Redskins need to stay the course, and gain any competitive advantage they can. It appears as though they’re doing that, getting a head start on acclimating to the new virtual framework that will have to be adopted, while things still settle on the virus front.

With any luck, improvements will be seen shortly, and teams will be able to regroup in some kind of capacity. For now, however, the Redskins are making the most of the resources they have, and the players appear to be on board.