Dwayne Haskins on track to start for Washington

Dwayne Haskins appears on track to start at quarterback for the Washington Football Team this week despite losing his captain status.

Alex Smith did not play last week as he deals with a calf injury. Haskins started in the team’s loss to Seattle and took first-team reps in practice on Wednesday. Haskins also took starter reps again on Thursday. ESPN’s Adam Schefter says the sense is it would be tough for Smith to be ready.

Sense out of Washington this week has been that it would be challenging for QB Alex Smith to return from his calf injury this week. And now today, Dwayne Haskins is taking the starter reps at practice, and is tracking to start Sunday vs. Panthers.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 24, 2020

This is some nice luck for Haskins, who has only started six games this season. That is what makes the timing of the maskless saga so irritating for Washington.

Washington is 6-8 and leads the NFC East by a game over Dallas and the Giants. They host Carolina in Week 16 and end the season at Philly, in one of the most important remaining games on the schedule.