Washington QB Dwayne Haskins has excellent mindset heading into 2020

A year ago, it was no secret that Washington Football Team quarterback Dwayne Haskins was in an unsavory situation.

Drafted No. 16 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Washington Football Team, Dwayne Haskins was never given the seal of approval from his coaching staff. Rumors swirled before the start of the season that Dan Snyder had wanted to draft Haskins, while Jay Gruden had preferred the Giants’ selection, Daniel Jones.

Gruden did little to stymy these rumors when he chose journeyman Case Keenum to start over Haskins at the outset of the 2019 season. Haskins only got his chance when Keenum failed to keep the doomed team competitive, and Haskins predictably fared no better.

It was a situation that wasn’t conducive to a healthy mindset, and it wasn’t until Bill Callahan gave Haskins the starting job and imbued him with the staff’s full confidence that we saw Haskins finally start to grow.

That growth was perceivably threatened by the arrival of a new coaching regime at the start of the year, but instead of kicking Haskins to the curb, Ron Rivera issued him a challenge, to prove that he was the one at quarterback. Eight months later, Haskins is in the process of proving exactly that.

Coaches have given glowing reviews of Haskins thus far in the 2020 offseason. Rivera and decorated quarterbacks coach Ken Zampese have both remarked that Haskins has done everything possible to succeed over the summer, and Haskins himself has worked to perfect his physique, losing over ten pounds through workouts to get himself in the best playing shape.

All that’s left to do is to go out on the field and let the hard work translate, but that’s far easier said than done. Luckily, Haskins knows this. And he knows he’s far from finished working. Being a leader is something Haskins can work on now, and it’s something he’s gained a better understanding of, over the past year.

“Just being a quarterback, being a leader, you have to be versatile in how you lead and also gain that respect,” Haskins said in a Washington Football Team article by Kyle Stackpole.  “If you don’t have respect, no one’s going to listen to you or really follow you, so that’s all I’ve been trying to do is earn that.”

By all accounts, Haskins has earned that respect. But respect from friends is one thing; respect from enemies is another. Haskins will have a better handle on his leadership roles in 2020, after being bestowed that confidence from the coaching staff. But respect on the field, and true competitiveness, requires more.

“Having learned [how to be a leader] going into the last couple games of the season last year, I’ve been trying to master that same edge that a Tom Brady or Drew Brees has when he steps into a building and you know he’s there,” Haskins said in the same article referenced above. “Not necessarily having been named [the starter] right now, but our offense needs a guy who’s going to take ownership and lead. Why not be me?”

Why not Haskins? That’s a question that might still have an answer. But in 2020, Haskins will look to make it irrelevant.