Riggo's Rag
FanSided

Washington Football Team: Breaking down the decision to bench Dwayne Haskins, start Kyle Allen

By Jacob Camenker

Aug 20, 2020; Ashburn, Virginia, USA; Washington Football Team quarterback Kyle Allen (8) and Washington Football Team quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. (7) participate in drills on day twenty-three of training camp at Inova Sports Performance Center in Ashburn, Virginia. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 20, 2020; Ashburn, Virginia, USA; Washington Football Team quarterback Kyle Allen (8) and Washington Football Team quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. (7) participate in drills on day twenty-three of training camp at Inova Sports Performance Center in Ashburn, Virginia. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next
LANDOVER, MARYLAND – OCTOBER 04: Quarterback Kyle Allen #8 of the Washington Football Team warms up against the Baltimore Ravens at FedExField on October 04, 2020 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MARYLAND – OCTOBER 04: Quarterback Kyle Allen #8 of the Washington Football Team warms up against the Baltimore Ravens at FedExField on October 04, 2020 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Conclusion

There’s no knowing whether or not this will be the right move for Washington. Expectations coming into this season were that the team wouldn’t be a playoff contender and that they could give Haskins a good, long look and determine if he is the future of the franchise.

But things change, and with an opportunity to compete for a division title, Washington is going to take a chance and go for it. That puts the evaluation of Haskins on hold, or it at least pushes it behind the scenes for the time being.

Again, this doesn’t mean it’s the end of the Haskins era in Washington. It sure may feel like it, but things could change for Haskins. Allen could struggle mightily and Haskins may return to the fold rejuvenated. Perhaps hitting the bench will re-motivate him and an opportunity for him to win back the starting job will emerge. At this point, we just don’t know.

Maybe Allen will operate more effectively in the Turner offense and maybe he’ll be able to make some more game-changing plays than Haskins. The familiarity and extra year of NFL experience is a plus, but we’ll soon see if it actually matters.

Next. Haskins' benching shows progress for Washington. dark

For now, there are only a few things that we know. Kyle Allen is the starter. Dwayne Haskins is back on the bench. Ron Rivera made the decision. The next four weeks will be about seeing if it was the right one.

Home/Commanders News