Washington Football Team: Five players to watch in Week 5 vs. Rams
1. QB Kyle Allen
Kyle Allen is obviously the No. 1 player to watch here. Dwayne Haskins was benched just four games into the Ron Rivera era in favor of the third-year quarterback as it seems that Rivera believes that Allen may give Washington a better chance to win at this time.
To an extent, this move is understandable. Allen does have experience in Scott Turner’s offense and operated well in it at times during 12 games last season. He had his share of struggles, but he’s still young, just 24, and is growing as a player.
Allen will have to come in and be a big improvement over Haskins for Washington to win. As shorthanded as they are on offense aside from Terry McLaurin, Allen will have to elevate the play of his young receivers and tight end Logan Thomas. He’ll also have to make some downfield plays that Haskins either was unable to make or chose not to take a chance on through four games this season.
It’s unclear how long of a leash Allen will have, but it seems like he’ll need to hit the ground running to avoid either being replaced by Alex Smith or Dwayne Haskins returning to the lineup to continue his developmental process after some time on the bench. But either way, Allen’s first chance to prove himself will come on Sunday against the Rams.
dark. Next. Breaking down the decision to bench Dwayne Haskins
If Allen looks good, Washington will have a chance to stay in this game. But if he can’t perform up to expectations, it could be another long day for the Washington offense.