Category: Latest Washington News

The New Iron Man: Chase Young achieves feat only done by Ryan Kerrigan since 2003

Over the past decade, it’s been Ryan Kerrigan who holds the crown on Washington’s defense, but Chase Young may quickly be taking that title.

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One of the only bummers about the rising star that is Chase Young in Washington is that it’s knocked DE Ryan Kerrigan into a lesser role, causing his snaps to diminish greatly while a younger and more agile group takes the lead.

Kerrigan will go down as one of the greatest players in Washington history when all is said and done, and what’s cool about this 2020 season is fans getting a chance to watch him play alongside Young, who by the looks of it might become the next ‘GOAT’ in Washington.

On Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, Young had an impressive day and added to his season stat line, achieving a feat that has only been done by Kerrigan since 2003.

Kerrigan’s rookie season was definitely impressive, but it may have been out-done by Young this season. Kerrigan notched 64 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 4 passes defended, 4 forced fumbles, 1 interception, and 1 touchdown in his first 16 games in the league. Contrarily, through 14 games, Young has 42 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 4 passes defended, 4 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 touchdown. Those stat lines obviously look similar but consider that Young was named to a Pro Bowl in his rookie season, and he still has one game left to play.

I guess there’s no loser when it comes to comparing what could end up being two legends in Washington, so let’s just say we’re all winners and enjoy the ride.

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With Dwayne Haskins gone, Washington’s history with 1st-round QBs looks even worse

With another former first-round QB now out the door in Washington, it’s clear that the team should probably look to the free-agent market, rather than the draft for a new QB.

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If you were to ask any NFL fan who is the worst team in the league when it comes to drafting and keeping quarterbacks, the most likely answer is probably the Cleveland Browns. Having had 28 different starting quarterbacks since 1999, it’s hard to compete with dysfunction like that.

However, Washington might just be throwing their hat into the ring. With the latest release of QB Dwayne Haskins, who was the No. 15 overall pick just a year ago, you can make the argument that Washington is another place where QBs go to die. However, in Washington, QBs are distinctly unable to get their careers started, which has been proven once again by Haskins.

Five quarterbacks drafted in the first round since 1994, and a total of one playoff game played between them. A total record of 49-81 combined and no more than four seasons played in Washington from any of them.

It may be bad luck, or it may be that Washington has a real quarterback problem, unable to groom from the start and build from there. Whatever it is, anyone who sees this may start to consider a free-agent QB acquisition this offseason, rather than trying to find the guy with their first-round pick in the 2021 draft. Just a thought.

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Dwayne Haskins thanks fans in Washington; vows to become better person and player

In a statement, Haskins said that he takes ‘full responsibility for not meeting the standards of an NFL QB’ and he will work to get better.

We are now hearing from the man himself, former Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins, not long after his release from the Washington Football Team on Monday afternoon.

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In a statement on Twitter, Haskins thanked the team and the fans in Washington and took responsibility for not living up to expectations or meeting the standards of an NFL quarterback. He also vowed to become a better player and person going forward, using this experience to grow.

Washington’s release of Haskins was not a surprise, though some may have been shocked by the timing. Just less than two years after being drafted with the 15th overall pick, the 23-year-old is now searching for a new team and is available to whoever wants him on the waiver wire.

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Dwayne Haskins due $4.26 million over next two seasons; Washington takes $8.5 million dead-cap hit

Washington will take an $8.5 million dead-cap hit from the release of former first-round pick Dwayne Haskins, with the QB still owed $4.26 million.

With the news that Washington has released former first-round quarterback Dwayne Haskins, the question of money and dead-cap now comes into play. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Haskins is owed $4.266 million over the next two seasons, and whichever team picks him up off of waivers — if anyone — will be on the hook for that cash.

Washington is not free of Haskins financially going forward, as they will be on the hook for $8.5 million in dead-cap for the 2021 season, according to Spotrac. However, it does free up a roster spot for the rest of the season and will allow the team to focus on football, rather than all of the drama that seemed to follow Haskins throughout his first two years in the NFL.

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Twitter Buzz: NFL world reacts to Washington’s decision to release QB Dwayne Haskins

Washington made the decision to release former first-round QB Dwayne Haskins on Monday, which sent the Twitter world going crazy.

Washington made the somewhat surprising decision to release second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins from the roster on Monday, which came after a game where he had the worst performance of his NFL career and was left benched for practice squad QB Taylor Heinicke.

There was no doubt that Washington was going to release Haskins at some point, but many though it would come in the offseason, rather than on Monday, ahead of the biggest game of the season for Ron Rivera and his team where they have a chance to clinch a playoff spot against the Philadelphia Eagles.

With Haskins now off the roster, it ends his tenure in Washington, and he will likely go down as one of the more memorable first-round QB busts in recent NFL history. Here is how social media reacted after the news.

https://twitter.com/JasonPombo/status/1343616680199663623

 

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Breaking: Washington releases QB Dwayne Haskins from roster

After a drama-filled week was capped off by his worst performance in the NFL, Washington has decided to cut ties with former first-round pick Dwayne Haskins.

The Washington Football Team has made the bold move of releasing second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins from the roster following his second benching of the season in a 20-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday afternoon.

The number one option at QB in Washington remains Alex Smith, but with Haskins now off the roster, we can expect QB Taylor Heinicke and QB Steven Montez to step into the QB2 and QB3 roles.

Head coach Ron Rivera stated earlier on Monday that Haskins was being demoted to 3rd string QB, but now it appears they made the decision to release him outright.

Haskins, who has been in the news for a number of less than ideal reasons as of late, is now facing his biggest public humiliation, being released by the team that drafted him just a year ago. This comes after a game in which we went 14-for-28 for 154 yards, 2 INTs, and 1 fumble. After the game, it appeared that Haskins had blown off his media availability, though further explanation appears to show there was a miscommunication, and the QB eventually did conduct an interview session at his home. In that interview, a subdued Haskins said that the last week has been the “hardest of his life,” and that he hopes he gets another chance down the road.

There was seemingly going to be some trade value for Haskins if he was able to perform even decently well on Sunday, but the poor performance on the field coupled with the whole host of drama he has brought off of it has made it so that Washington feels better off cutting ties and opening up a roster spot, rather than holding on hope. We will see where Haskins ends up down the road, but his time in Washington is officially over.

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Dwayne Haskins demoted to third-string QB; Taylor Heinicke to start if Alex Smith can’t play

Dwayne Haskins has been demoted to QB3 for the second time this season, while Taylor Heinicke moves into the backup spot if Alex Smith can’t go.

For the second time this season, Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins has been stripped of the starting job and demoted to the third-string spot on the roster, this time after being benched mid-game against the Carolina Panthers in favor of a practice squad player who was studying for his college finals earlier this month.

Going forward, Washington is going to be hoping and praying that QB Alex Smith will be healthy enough to play on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles in a potential playoff-clenching game. There is some optimism that he will be ready, considering he was close to getting the nod this past week, but with an injury as complicated as No. 11’s, it’s always fair to be skeptical.

If Smith can’t go, it will be Taylor Heinicke who comes in, which might not be the worst thing in the world after his performance on Sunday in relief of Haskins, where he went 12-for-19 for 137 yards and 1 touchdown. There is some belief that with a full week of preparation, Heinicke might actually be able to play well, but the hope is still that Smith will be back under center and can get the offense where it needs to be when Washington needs a win the most.

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‘Nobody expected us to be here:’ Ron Rivera says Washington is playing with house money

Washington is on the precipice of a playoff berth in a season where nobody predicted success, which has Ron Rivera feeling calm and confident.

With a potential win in Week 17 against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Washington Football Team has a chance to secure a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2015. If you follow this team even semi-closely, you already know this, but considering where this team has been, and where the 2020 season started, it’s pretty remarkable to realize where they are at now. After toting a 2-7 record at one point, Washington is one win away from the playoffs.

When you think about the giant turnaround that they’ve made, it’s pretty easy to be at least satisfied with the notion that Washington is on the right path towards success in the future. With that in mind, you can at least be comfortable with whatever happens this year, whether it means a playoff berth or not. Ron Rivera knows this, and he’s aware that no matter if they win or lose on Sunday against the Eagles, he can take the momentum that built this season and carry it into 2021, and start to build a successful program that can make their way into the postseason year after year.

When you consider it that way, you have nothing to lose on Sunday.

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Washington’s Week 17 game vs. Philadelphia Eagles flexed to Sunday Night Football

Washington vs. Philadelphia is now being flexed to Sunday Night Football and will decide the winner of the NFC East division.

The game between the Washington Football Team and Philadelphia Eagles is going to be worth all of the marbles for Ron Rivera and his squad, and with that weight on the outcome, the game is now being flexed to Sunday Night Football in a new schedule released by the NFL.

Washington was originally supposed to play the Eagles earlier in the day, but with the weight of the game, the league has decided to make it the primetime matchup of the weekend, with it ultimately deciding who wins the NFC East. Thanks to the outcomes on Sunday, Washington can win the division with a victory over the Eagles. If they happen to lose, the winner of New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys will decide the winner of the division earlier in the day.

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Top Quotes: Dwayne Haskins says past week was ‘hardest of my life’ after benching

After being unreachable at the stadium, Dwayne Haskins delivered a subdued and almost depressed interview with media members in Washington.

It was undoubtedly a tough week to be Dwayne Haskins, no matter if the hardships that were brought on were of his own making. After losing his first start in several weeks, Haskins was photographed breaking COVID-19 protocols and later had to publically apologize for his actions. He then was stripped of his team captaincy, fined $40,000, and then asked to start another game, one that would likely be his last in Washington, no matter the outcome.

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Haskins didn’t play well in that game, a 20-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers, eventually being benched for a practice squad QB after throwing 2 INTs and fumbling once. After the game, he seemingly jetted home without meeting with the media as he was supposed to. He later hopped on a Zoom call with media members and had some things to say, seemingly subdued and disappointed.

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