After an abysmal start against the Carolina Panthers yesterday where he got benched in the fourth quarter, Dwayne Haskins has been released by the Washington Football Team according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.
Washington has released QB Dwayne Haskins, per me and @TomPelissero.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 28, 2020
Haskins was taken 15th overall in 2019 by the Washington Football Team out of Ohio State and was regarded as the second best quarterback in the draft class by many. However Haskins struggled during both of his first two seasons in the league.
Former Washington interm head coach Bill Callahan appointed Haskins the starter in Week 9 because of their 1-6 start to the season and because the season seemed lost and the team wanted to see what they had in him. Washington only won one more game the entire season and Haskins finished the year with 1,365 passing yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions in seven starts.
This season head coach Ron Rivera did not appoint Haskins the starter until after training camp. After four rough starts to begin the season, Haskins was made the third string quarterback behind Kyle Allen and Alex Smith. He did not suit up for games until Kyle Allen was placed on IR with an ankle injury.
Haskins returned to the field in Week 14 against the San Fransisco 49ers when starter Alex Smith sustained a calf injury to his surgically repaired leg. The next two games with Haskins under center Washington’s offense has been terrible. They have now dropped two straight games against Seattle and Carolina and could now lose the division title and a playoff spot.
Before the Week 16 start against Carolina pictures emerged of Haskins at a party unmasked, not obeying Covid-19 protocols and hanging out with strippers. This was not a good look for Haskins and the Washington Football Team. Haskins’ actions embarrassed all parties involved when the story blew up and was a major distraction before a very important game this past week.
When the game appeared to be out of reach Rivera benched Haskins for their emergency quarterback Taylor Heinicke who out played Haskins during the fourth quarter. This game was important to coach Rivera because this was the first time he coached against his former team since they fired him last season.
It seems unlikely that Haskins will be signed by a team and could start another game this season. He could very well be signed to a future reserves deal and will likely become a practice squad player until he shows he is capable of being a backup on an active roster or better. He will have to follow the career paths of Paxton Lynch and Josh Rosen, who like Haskins, are both former first round picks who their teams gave up on.
Haskins finished the season with a 2-5 record throwing five passing touchdowns, seven interceptions and having six fumbles. His career totals as they stand right now are 13 total touchdowns (one rushing) and 26 turnovers in fourteen starts. Haskins career record when he starts is 4-10.
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