Category: Latest Redskins News

Dwayne Haskins is more comfortable, and ready to be a starting QB in the NFL

After being moved to the QB1 spot, Haskins admits that he is much more comfortable, and his demeanor shows that he’s ready to be a leader.

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We’ve seen rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins take the field before for the Washington Redskins, and every time he did, it didn’t go very well. So when he trots out to the hashes on Sunday to face the New York Jets in his second career start, what will make this time different? Why should fans have boosted expectations?

Repetition and comfortability, straight from the QBs mouth.

When speaking to the media on Wednesday morning, Haskins said that having the experience of live reps in the offense has improved his comfortability immensely, and given him a great deal of confidence going forward.

The truth is, the spotlight is now focused solely on Haskins, as he has been named the starting QB for the rest of the season in Washington. Though, as a first-round signal-caller, the spotlight has always been on him, it’s now brighter than ever going forward. He seems to understand that and has been trying to bring more accountability and leadership with him each day at practice.

If you still have low expectations for the rookie on Sunday when he takes the field against the Jets, nobody can blame you. But things seem to be different this time around; Haskins is carrying himself with the demeanor of a starting QB in the NFL. We’ll just have to wait and see if that shows itself on the field on Sunday.

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The open-market price has been set for RG Brandon Scherff, thanks to the Eagles

Scherff will be looking for a new contract from the Redskins this offseason after his expires, and it will likely be an expensive one.

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Earlier this season, Washington Redskins offensive lineman Brandon Scherff expressed his desire to be a member of the Redskins for the rest of his career, which is convenient, as his contract is set to expire this coming offseason.

As one of the premier right guards in the NFL, it has been expected that Bruce Allen and Co. would do what they could to retain Scherff, who the Redskins drafted with the No. 5 overall pick in 2015. However, it was unknown how much Scherff would be looking to get in a new contract.

Thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles, the market has now been set for a premier right guard in the NFL.

On Tuesday, the Eagles signed Brandon Brooks to a four-year, $56 million extension to keep him in Philadelphia. You can be assured that Scherff made sure to take note of that number. If he is able to test the open market in a few months, he will undoubtedly be looking for an extension that rivals that $14M annually, and chances are that he could ask for a bit more, as he is a couple of years younger than Brooks and Dallas’ Zach Martin, the other top paid guard in the NFL.

Everything was sunshine and roses earlier this year when Scherff showed his HTTR pride and expressed his love for the team, and nothing has changed on that front. What’s different now is that Washington has become aware of what it will take to keep that relationship strong, and it’s going to cost a pretty penny.

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Redskins players feeling the pressure of coaching change

Certain Redskins players know they’re auditioning for next year and a new coach.

It’s no secret Bill Callahan isn’t the long-term head coach for the Washington Redskins.

This puts a huge amount of pressure on the players. They started the year playing for Jay Gruden, transitioned to Callahan and are now seemingly auditioning for the next coach.

Guys like Paul Richardson are feeling the pressure, per Kareem Copeland of the Washington Post:

“Thinking about the business side, yeah, it’s challenging at times because so much is out of my control,” Richardson said. “I’m playing for my future in terms of being a part of the future plans of this organization. … That vision is blurred because of the position I play. There’s only so much I can do without the ball.”

Richardson has some other things going on, of course. He hasn’t matched expectations since coming over via free agency. He’s one of many passing-game weapons struggling to put up numbers given the constant shuffling under center.

But at the same time, it speaks to the broader trend here of players struggling with another transition period as the front office gets ready to hire a new head coach.

All players like Richardson can do is put their best film out there and hope they remain part of the plans.

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Here’s the moment Redskins knew Dwayne Haskins would start rest of season

The Redskins saw something special from Haskins away from the field.

Bill Callahan briefly made it interesting, but Dwayne Haskins will start for the Washington Redskins.

While Callahan has stressed the team’s record played a role here and that it’s a good time to let a rookie develop in live-action, he also noted something else interesting.

Sitting down with the “Redskins Talk” podcast, Callahan noted the young quarterback put in extra work after a loss, per NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay:

“He took it to heart. That loss stuck deep into him. He wanted to know exactly what he could do. He came in on a Saturday, on our off day, and we visited for a good hour or so and just talked about what he could do better, how he could perform better, how he could prepare better.”

This meet on an off day apparently took place after the 19-9 loss to Washington. Haskins started against Buffalo the next week, a 24-9 loss, and didn’t throw a touchdown or interception.

The passion from Haskins that Callahan speaks of is surely infectious for his teammates. So while there are bound to be struggles as he develops, the personality and drive that helped him secure the job in the first place is bound to keep morale running high.

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Quinton Dunbar is Redskins’ highest-graded player at PFF

The Redskins CB is quietly having a monster season.

Quinton Dunbar is having himself quite the season.

Dunbar has quietly been a big bright spot for the Washington Redskins, even if it is hard to see through all the trying times.

Pro Football Focus has made a point to keep spotlighting Dunbar though by revealing he’s the team’s highest-graded player so far:

Dunbar has very quietly been one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks to start the 2019 NFL season. He ranks second in overall grade (88.0) and first in coverage grade (90.0) among qualifying cornerbacks. He also ranks tied for fourth in passer rating allowed (52.6) with three forced incompletions on the year.

Those are some gaudy numbers from Dunbar, though NFL teams seem to be getting the hint as they direct more attempts at other Redskins defenders.

So far, Dunbar has been targeted 41 times, with Josh Norman checking in higher.

If Dunbar keeps playing like this, teams will only continue to stop going at him.

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Ex-Redskins coaches, players have found massive success since leaving

A number of the top minds in the NFL were at once a part of the Redskins organization, but they’ve found success elsewhere.

“I wish there was actually a way to know you’re in the good old days before you actually left them.”

Andy Bernard — played by Ed Helms — said that on the Season 9 finale of “The Office” years ago, but it fits pretty well with how the Washington Redskins might feel just about now. While they are currently sitting with the second-worst record in the NFL, a look around the rest of the league shows numerous staffers, coaches, and players finding great success in new locations. Whether it’s a coach who used to be a coordinator in Washington or a GM who found a new team to manage, it seems that the Redskins franchise was exactly the jumping-off point that these guys needed to get their careers going.

In case you need help remembering who all of those future stars were they go as the following: Kyle Shanahan, Redskins OC; John Schneider, Redskins VP of Player Personnel; Matt LaFleur, Redskins QB coach; Kirk Cousins, Redskins QB; Sean McVay, Redskins OC.

All of them were at one point in the building, working to bring success to Washington. Now, they’ve been able to find success elsewhere, and the Redskins are still sitting at the bottom of the league, looking for the right answers. Here’s to hoping that the good old days are right around the corner.

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Washington would have the No. 2 pick in 2020 if the season ended today

The Redskins have the second-worst record in the NFL, and judging by the future schedule, it will be hard to come by a win from here on out.

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It’s been a strange year for the NFL, where an oddly extensive amount of teams are still in contention to make a deep playoff run, and arguably no team is a heavy favorite to win the Super Bowl. Despite all of that, there are still some teams who can’t be bothered with the playoff race.

For teams like the Washington Redskins, what matters each week is figuring out where they are in the projected 2020 NFL Draft Order, and after a wild Week 10 in which three of the heavy favorites for the first overall pick found paths to victory, things are looking up for Dan Snyder and his team.

As it stands now, the Redskins are projected to have the No. 2 overall pick in 2020, sitting with a 1-8 record headed into Week 11. Here is how the first 6 picks shake out, according to USA Today’s Draft Wire:

No. 1 | Cincinnati Bengals 

No. 2 | Washington Redskins

No. 3 | New York Giants

No. 4 | Miami Dolphins 

No. 5 | New York Jets

No. 6 | Atlanta Falcons

There are many directions that the Redskins could go in if they were to finish the season with such a coveted draft pick. Many mock drafts have had them slotted to take DE Chase Young out of Ohio State, a generational talent that would be too good to pass up on, though Washington doesn’t have a major need at that position. It has also been posited that they may draft WR Jerry Jeudy, a sure-handed deep-threat out of Alabama, or maybe even a top-rated QB, should things with Dwayne Haskins not pan out down the stretch of the season.

None of that is important now, though. What matters is that Washington keeps losing, and they continue to see their name high above those mock drafts as the season comes closer to an end.

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Gregg Williams’ Jets defense provides a good test for Dwayne Haskins

A tough matchup against the Jets could be critical for Dwayne Haskins.

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Just how far along is Dwayne Haskins?

It’s a good question to ask now that the Washington Redskins are going all in around the first-round pick as starter.

And interim coach Bill Callahan kept the perspective fair, per Craig Hoffman of 106.7 The Fan: “He needs the experience. Let’s be frank. We’re at a place we don’t want to be record wise, so let’s give him the opportunity.”

Haskins’ extended shot at developmental time hits a potential big brick wall with the New York Jets and the well-known coordinator Gregg Williams.

Williams’ defense just helped the Jets pick up a win over the Giants while holding Saquon Barkley to one yard on 13 carries.

Callahan is zeroed in on Williams:

Call it a great way to establish a benchmark for Haskins — the Jets won’t hesitate to send constant pressure his way.

While Haskins’ gig as starter might seem secure, now the staff wants to see consistent improvement. Williams and the Jets will provide the test.

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The Trent Williams situation gets another comment from Bill Callahan

The interim coach had some interesting comments about the star left tackle.

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By now, much has been said about the ongoing saga between the Washington Redskins and Trent Williams.

In the latest stretch of spat between the two parties, the Redskins decided to put the left tackle on the NFI list and opted not to pay him.

With the bye week over, interim coach Bill Callahan got back on the podium in front of the media and understandably had to tackle these questions.

According to JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington, Callahan said “I have nothing but the utmost respect for Trent.” He also noted he was compassionate of the situation but otherwise didn’t want to comment.

And at this point, Callahan is just trying to steer a largely sinking ship on an interim status. It’s expected he’ll comment on his relationship with Williams as a person but leave the business side out of the discussion.

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Bill Callahan says he wouldn’t make Adrian Peterson or Derrius Guice inactive

The interim coach made a point about his RB room.

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Crisis avoided.

Earlier this year, then-Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden caused some apparent controversy by making veteran running back Adrian Peterson inactive while Derrius Guice got the nod at running back.

A head coach stashing one running back because of his similarities with another for the sake of additional versatility at other positions — especially on special teams — isn’t all that outlandish. But it made a big wave anyway because of Peterson’s status and his strong season the year prior.

Now with Guice finally healthy, interim coach Bill Callahan has to deal with the same hurdle.

He’s apparently leaped over it with ease:

With how this season has unfolded, why rock the boat?

Projection-wise, Peterson figures to be the workhorse still while Guice gets his legs back under him. Even when Guice is full-go it doesn’t seem like the interim coach wants to take any big risks.

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