Dwayne Haskins does not appear to be all that close to making his NFL debut despite the Washington Redskins being off to a 0-3 start, but the rookie quarterback says any talk about that causing a rift within the organization is inaccurate.
Joel Klatt of FOX Sports told “The Rich Eisen Show” Friday that Redskins coaches were never on board with drafting Haskins in the first round. As a result, he says there is tension between the coaching staff and front office over whether or not Haskins should be starting.
"the (Redskins) coaching staff never was on board with the selection (of Dwayne Haskins)… there is a riff between the front office, who wants him to play, and the coaching staff." –@joelklatt pic.twitter.com/9dIfWPzXCn
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) September 27, 2019
Haskins was quick to dismiss that report as “fake news.”
Fake news https://t.co/QXmcfBChmC
— Dwayne Haskins, Jr (@dh_simba7) September 27, 2019
Disagreement within the Redskins organization over their rookie quarterback would be the least surprising news of the season. While Case Keenum has not played poorly through the first three games, he obviously isn’t the future of the team. Washington is not headed for the playoffs with him, so why not give Haskins a chance to develop?
One theory is that head coach Jay Gruden believes Keenum is a safer option, even if his ceiling may not be as high. If Keenum can win a handful of games, it might be enough to save Gruden’s job. Starting a rookie would be more risky for the coach.
Gruden recently tried to explain why Haskins isn’t being considered at the moment, but you have to wonder if he’ll eventually be pressured by those working above him to give the first-round pick a shot.
