Dwayne Haskins fell out of favor with Washington’s coaching staff earlier in the season, but that does not mean he has lost the respect of head coach Ron Rivera.
Rivera was asked about Haskins on Friday, and he had nothing but positive things to say about the former Ohio State star. Rivera said he has been pleased with the progress Haskins has shown since he was benched earlier in the year.
“(He’s) really grown in the last month in terms of the things we talked about wanting to see him understand,” River said, according to ESPN’s John Keim. “The young man is a talent and he’s learning the rest of it. I like what he’s doing on the field.”
It’s noteworthy that Rivera said he likes what Haskins is doing on the field. Carrying yourself like a professional and performing well in practice are two separate things, and it sounds like Rivera has been impressed with Haskins’ play.
Haskins entered the season as Washington’s starter but fell to third on the depth chart behind both Alex Smith and Kyle Allen. There have been some questions about his priorities and focus, but a clip from Sunday’s game that went viral (see it here) appeared to show Haskins is committed to being a great teammate. Couple that with Rivera’s comments and it sounds like the former No. 15 overall pick is handling a tough situation quite well.
