When Ron Rivera — who had just been announced as the Washington Redskins new head coach — proclaimed that they planned to bring in a veteran quarterback in order to compete with Dwayne Haskins this summer, Kyle Allen probably is not who many expected.
That doesn’t mean that he won’t do, though. In fact, some believe that he has a solid chance to beat out Haskins and usurp the starting job from the second-year player who was drafted with the No. 15 pick in 2019.
According to NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks, who is a former NFL-player and ex-scout, Redskins fans shouldn’t be surprised to see Allen take the first snaps of the 2020 season under center in Washington.
“Don’t underestimate the significance of Rivera reuniting with a young quarterback who made 11 starts under his direction over the past two seasons,” Brooks said. “The Allen deal also matches offensive coordinator Scott Turner with a quarterback he developed from undrafted free agent to starter from 2018 to 2019.”
When placed side-by-side, Allen and Haskins are pretty comparable, and the former actually has a leg up when it comes to production. Allen was signed by the Carolina Panthers after going undrafted in 2018, but he started in 11 games over his first two years, totaling 19 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Haskins, on the other hand, was drafted midway through the first round in 2019, but he struggled greatly for most of his rookie season before finally putting some things together in the last couple of games.
The skill-sets might be comparable, but Allen’s knowledge of the offense is going to give him a leg up, as he is familiar with both Rivera and Turner. Haskins will be forced to learn a second system in his second season, which is less than ideal for any young quarterback.
In the end, the best quarterback is going to emerge as the starter. At first glance, that is Haskins’ job to lose. Just don’t be surprised if Allen snatches it away.
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