Redskins QB Dwayne Haskins receives strong praise from Ron Rivera

On the heels of the Josh Rosen debacle, there was speculation early in the 2020 offseason that the Redskins might move on from Dwayne Haskins, after an up-and-down rookie season.

But the Washington Redskins didn’t move on from Dwayne Haskins. Instead, Ron Rivera re-affirmed his confidence in Haskins’ franchise potential in his introductory press conference. The team traded for a backup with scheme familiarity, but didn’t add another quarterback. At No. 2 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, when they could have selected a highly-touted signal caller, the Redskins instead picked Chase Young.

Now, Haskins has a golden opportunity to build off of his late rookie-season growth. He can take the 2020 offseason by storm, capitalize on his recent improvement, maximize his physical talent, and shock the NFL world when September hits.

All of this is contingent on one thing, however.

That Dwayne Haskins buys in.

There was talk early on in the 2019 season that Haskins needed to go through a maturation process of sorts. Such a scenario should have been expected for a player who was formerly a redshirt sophomore. All players must grow into leadership roles, and according to Redskins head coach Ron Rivera, Haskins is doing everything he can to do so in the 2020 offseason.

Rivera gave a glowing endorsement of Haskins in a recent Zoom press conference. The video is embedded below, and beneath that, his full quote on Haskins is transcribed.

Here is the quote from Rivera on Haskins:

"It’s been kinda neat because, you know, he’ll send me a text — sometimes he’ll send it to me a little bit late at night so I won’t get it until the next morning, because I’m usually in bed [by then] — but it’s one of those things where, he’s really taking what he and I talked about to heart. And I really do appreciate it, because it shows maturity as well.And he’s a young man, who’s just learning the game. You know, came out of college early, obviously. And it’s just one of those things, that as you see him grow and develop, you can see those types of things that you’re looking for, that you’re hoping he understands, how important it is.I appreciate the attitude and effort he’s approached this with, and I’m really looking forward to seeing him in person. I pop in and out of the Zoom meetings, and like I said, he and I text back and forth. We actually had a phone call last night. We talked a little bit about things and how things are going for him, so I’m pretty excited to see him in person when we have an opportunity to get back together as a football team."

Rivera and Haskins haven’t had an opportunity to interface in person, given the novel coronavirus outbreak that has restricted such interactions. With that in mind, the fact that Rivera is already so encouraged by Haskins’ work ethic and growth is a very positive sign. There have also been reports about Haskins’ physical progress; he’s reportedly down from 230 pounds to 218 pounds, and his alleged physical transformation should further assist him in making the leap in 2020.

Haskins also commented on the video above on Instagram, saying, in regards to Rivera: “Can’t wait to play for this man”. There seems to be a mutual interest between the coach and the quarterback that wasn’t always present under the previous regime, and both Rivera and Haskins are invested in their shared vision for success. All of this optimism still has to come to fruition on the football field, but count Rivera himself as one who’s excited to get started.