Dwayne Haskins’ inability to protect the football was one of the main reasons Washington lost to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, and many are wondering how long that can continue before the second-year quarterback is benched. After hearing what Ron Rivera said on Monday, Haskins cannot be feeling like his starting job is all that secure.
Haskins threw three interceptions in Sunday’s 34-20 loss to the Browns. Rivera has said the quarterback’s job is safe for the foreseeable future, but he admitted on Monday that there are Washington players who “deserve better” than what the team has gotten through three weeks. The coach also said there is a “cut-off point” for Haskins.
“Yes, there is. And you brought up the point, and it’s a very good point, that there are guys in that locker room that are playing well enough for us to win,” Rivera said, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post. “And again, we have to make sure everyone is playing well enough for us to win at that point. And there is a cut-off point for me. There is.”
Some oddsmakers predicted that Haskins would be the first QB to be benched this season, but that did not happen. Mitchell Trubisky was benched by the Chicago Bears in favor of Nick Foles on Sunday, and that decision looks like it’s going to stick.
Haskins has a passer rating of 75.7 through three games. He has completed just 56.4 percent of his passes, which is the second-worst mark in the NFL behind only Denver Broncos backup Jeff Driskel. Washington backup Kyle Allen played for Rivera with the Carolina Panthers, so there is familiarity there. Rivera has also indicated he would be comfortable playing Alex Smith.
It’s unclear exactly how long Rivera is going to give Haskins, but it’s obvious the former Ohio State star needs to start playing better if he wants to keep his job.
