5 Players to watch

Dwayne Haskins

- Rick Snider

Dwayne Haskins is supposed to be first man up, but it’s hard to say who will quarterback Washington this season.

Haskins is the prized 2019 first-round pick who went from third-stringer to starter once coach Jay Gruden was fired. Haskins did some good things and some bad things. Overall, it was a favorable impression, but nobody is sure whether Haskins is a good NFL quarterback.

The offseason mostly fared poorly for Haskins. Oh, he lost some weight, practiced in parks often as shown by his videographer and matured into the mentality needed for the NFL. This isn’t some overly-talented college team where success is a given. It’s where reputations came to die for the past generation so Haskins needed to grow into the task.

The downside is the team changed coaches so the new staff is not connected to Haskins. He’s just someone they inherited. Ask Robert Griffin how he was embraced by Gruden. New coach Ron Rivera even traded for his old Carolina backup who may get a chance if Haskins isn’t sharp. And, Alex Smith is healthy despite being on the physically-able-to-perform list and is a contender if Rivera thinks he can win in a short season with a veteran passer.

Add to the hurdles is Haskins has few targets. No receiving tight end that would help as a default. Receiver Kelvin Harmon blew out his ACL. Cody Latimer is on the commissioner’s exempt list after offseason criminal charges. After Terry McLaurin, Washington lacks a solid No. 2 receiver.

So, the path to glory isn’t a golden trail, but one filled with potholes for Haskins. He’ll have to earn a starting job, then defend it weekly.

Terry McLaurin