Washington Football Team officially names Dwayne Haskins starting quarterback

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 29: Dwayne Haskins Jr. #7 of the Washington Football Team looks to pass in the fourth quarter against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on September 29, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - SEPTEMBER 29: Dwayne Haskins Jr. #7 of the Washington Football Team looks to pass in the fourth quarter against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on September 29, 2019 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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Dwayne Haskins will be the Week 1 starter for the Washington Football Team, as expected.

Heading into the 2020 campaign, it was always expected that Dwayne Haskins would be the starter for the Washington Football Team. And on Wednesday, this news was made official.

According to multiple reports, Washington’s head coach Ron Rivera confirmed that Haskins would start Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Rivera’s announcement came after a Washington practice and just 11 days before the start of the 2020 regular season.

Haskins was always expected to win the job. Sure, he had some level of competition from Kyle Allen, who is familiar with Scott Turner‘s offense, and Alex Smith, who surprisingly was activated from the PUP list as he attempts an improbable comeback.

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But Haskins was able to outduel both easily and emerge as the favorite. He worked as the first-team quarterback for all of camp and showed off enough arm talent, solid decision making, and improved mobility to earn the job. Now, Washington will see what Haskins can do in 2020.

This will undoubtedly be a big year for Haskins. He was woeful in limited action as a rookie, but he improved down the stretch. With a full offseason under his belt (albeit an abnormal one due to the COVID-19 pandemic), Haskins should continue to build on that momentum and establish himself as a good starter.

However, if he can’t, Washington will have to consider parting ways with him during the offseason. And it’s worth noting that Haskins was a pick of the previous front office/coaching staff tandem, so Rivera and Co. aren’t married to Haskins, though they have demonstrated a belief that he can get the job done.

Rolling with Haskins as the starter is the right move for Washington. Simply put, they need to see what he can do and if he can answer the questions that the team has long had at the quarterback position. Maybe he’ll pan out, maybe he won’t, but the buzz around Haskins has mostly been positive.

Next. Consistency is key for Dwayne Haskins. dark

We’ll soon see what Haskins can do. But if he starts the season well against the Eagles, that should be a good sign that he has improved since we all last saw him play.