The calls for the Washington Redskins to give Dwayne Haskins a shot are only going to get louder if Case Keenum has more games like the one he had against the Chicago Bears on Monday night, but it does not seem as though head coach Jay Gruden has any plans to insert the rookie into the starting lineup.
A source within the Redskins organization told Darren M. Haynes of WUSA9 that Haskins has been working strictly with the scout team in practice and is not getting any first-team reps.
A source with the #Redskins tells me
“Jay Gruden isn’t putting [Dwayne] Haskins in a position to get better. He’s not getting any reps with our offense. He’s running mostly scout team. If Gruden keeps Haskins in this position, how will he ever be prepared to play?” @wusa9 #HTTR pic.twitter.com/fSE1apACno
— Darren M. Haynes (@DarrenMHaynes) September 24, 2019
That is an indication that Gruden is giving no thought to making a switch, and his motivation for that could be self-serving.
Despite his rough night on Monday, Keenum hasn’t been terrible through the first three games. He completed around 70 percent of his passes in Week 1 and Week 2 and threw five touchdowns without an interception in those two games combined. It wasn’t enough, however, as the Redskins lost both. Washington is virtually certain to miss the playoffs this season, so what good is it having the 31-year-old Keenum start when you already know his ceiling?
The situation could be similar to the one we saw in Cleveland early last season, when Hue Jackson played Tyrod Taylor over Baker Mayfield. Jackson probably believed — incorrectly — that Taylor gave the Browns a better chance of winning a few games, which might have helped him save his job. If Gruden turns things over to Haskins and the rookie struggles, Washington might fire the head coach. If Gruden sticks with Keenum and the veteran wins, say, six or seven games, Gruden may feel that gives him a better chance to keep his job.
Haskins seemed confident during the preseason and had no problem firing back at his critics, but he needs actual reps in order to develop. The Redskins obviously believe he can be their quarterback of the future, otherwise they would not have drafted him 15th overall. It makes no sense to keep him on the bench while the team is losing.
