Category: Latest Washington News

Dwayne Haskins has no room for excuses in his second season in NFL

There were a number of reasons why Haskins had an underwhelming rookie year, but going forward he is in control of how good he can be.

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Going into his second season in the NFL, all eyes are going to be on QB Dwayne Haskins in Washington, as he tries to put a disappointing rookie year in his rearview mirror. There have been endless stories coming out of Washington camps this offseason that have shown Haskins putting in a ton of work, and making sure to get better each and every day.

While there are obviously other factors around Haskins that will go a long way in determining his success — offensive weapons, blocking up front, etc. — in the end the biggest determining factor will be under his control. The new offensive coordinator in Washington, Scott Turner, said on Monday that the young QB will be the writer of his own story.

“He can be as good as he wants to be,” Turner said, via NBC Sports Washington.

It was easy to make excuses in 2019 for why Haskins struggled. He came into a system that was ill-fit for a young QB with minimal weapons around him, and the coaching staff was seemingly upfront about not wanting him in the first place. Still, Haskins did himself no favors early on my struggling on the field, and failing to show the necessary maturity even when success did come, missing the final snaps in his first victory because he was taking a selfie with fans in the stands.

Despite all of the turmoil in 2019, there were still a lot of plays that allude to a bright future. The final stretch run of Haskins’ rookie season definitely gave the team hope going forward, and it seems that the pieces are there to make a solid player.

“You can pick out plays from last season that really make you say, ‘wow.’ It’s just a matter of playing consistently, making the right decision over and over and over,” Turner said. “That’s what playing quarterback in this league is about. Dwayne definitely has the ability to do that. He just has to continue to learn and get better. He can’t be afraid to make mistakes and learn from them moving forward.”

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Jason Wright says name change is about identity; ‘Bigger than a logo’

One of the biggest projects for Wright to take on as president is deciding a new team name in Washington, which he said will be a process.

While the celebrations and congratulations are prevalent in Washington today with the announcement that Jason Wright has been hired as the first Black team president in NFL history, pretty soon the 38-year-old will have to get down to business and focus on the changes that he’s been hired to oversee in a franchise that has suffered some bumps and bruises over the past several months, and years.

One of the biggest things that Wright will be focusing on over the next several months is helping to decide on a new team name in Washington, something that is long overdue and much-needed to help the culture shift in D.C. When talking on Good Morning America on Monday, Wright explained that he’s aware of the weight that this decision holds, and it’s something that will take some time.

“What we’re actually doing is much more than a new name. It’s actually a new identity, a new way of engaging with the world,” Wright said. “It’s going to inform the new way we embed in the community, the way we engage with fans. So it’s much bigger than just a name or a logo or whatever you’re going to put on the jersey.”

Jerseys and logos aside, there is a clear desire in Washington to keep some of the old traditions alive that were prevalent decades ago when the storied franchise was among the best in the NFL. In order to get this decision right, and find a way to please fans, and players, and sponsors, it’s going to take quite a while to come to a decision.

“It’s going to be a longer process, and it’s going to engage the fans intensely, it’s going to engage the sponsors intensely, and by the end of this, it’s going to be a community decision that we make as a Washington Football community.”

It’s clear that the desire to have everyone come together and decide on a new and hopefully bright future is incredibly important. Wright made sure to note that on Monday, and the name change process will be in good hands with him going forward.

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Players and media take to Twitter to congratulate Washington president Jason Wright

Washington’s hire of Jason Wright as the new president seems to have struck the right chord, with everyone sending their congratulations.

Washington kicked off the week with a bang by announcing the hiring of Jason Wright as their newest team president, making him the youngest team president in the NFL at age 38.

Wright is also the first Black team president in the NFL, and just the fourth former player to ascend to that role.

While we may not know a ton about Wright and his playing career, it is clear by the reaction from his colleagues and those who know him that Washington is hiring a great person who will help spur some much-needed change in Washington. Here are the best reactions and congratulations from Twitter after the announcement was made.

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What should you know about Washington’s new president, Jason Wright?

Washington hired former NFL running back Jason Wright to be the new team president, who is the youngest to hold that position at age 38.

The Washington Football Team made history on Monday morning when they announced that Jason Wright was being hired as the new team president. Wright is a former player in the NFL, and he now becomes the first Black team president in league history, as well as the fourth player to ascend to that role.

So what should you know about Wright going forward? Here are some quick hitters.

  • From 2004-2010, Wright was a running back in the NFL, playing for the Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, and Atlanta Falcons.
  • Finished his college career at Northwestern as the fourth all-time leading rusher with 2,625 yards, the third all-time all-purpose yards leader with 4,030 yards, and the fourth all-time leading scorer with 210 points.
  • At just 38 years old, Wright becomes the youngest team president in the NFL.
  • In his six years in the league, he only ran for 633 total yards and had two touchdowns, though he was often a favorite among teammates in the locker room.
  • In college at Northwestern, he was a double-major in psychology and pre-medicine.

As time goes on, we will continue to learn more about Wright, but the reaction from the hiring has been nothing but positive so far. Welcome to the team, Jason!

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Washington hires Jason Wright as NFL’s first Black team president

Washington announced the hiring of Jason Wright as the new team president on Monday, making him the fourth former player to ascend to role.

The Washington Football Team continues to be on the forefront of change this offseason, as they have now hired Jason Wright to be the new team president, starting next week.

Wright, who was a former running back in the NFL, is now the first African-American team president in the NFL, and only the fourth former player to ascend to that role.

“This team, at this time, is an ideal opportunity for me,” Wright said in a statement. “The transformation of the Washington Football Team is happening across all aspects of the organization — from football to operations to branding to culture — and will make us a truly modern and aspirational franchise. We want to set new standards for the NFL.”

Washington has been without a president since Bruce Allen was fired at the end of the 2019 season, and head coach Ron Rivera was hired soon after to take over in a strong leadership role for the team, according to Dan Snyder. This new hiring is not supposed to change much of that at all, with Rivera still holding full control of what takes place on the field.

“If I could custom design a leader for this important time in our history, it would be Jason,” Snyder said in a statement. “His experience as a former player, coupled with his business acumen, gives him a perspective that is unrivaled in the league. We will not rest until we are a championship caliber team, on and off the field.”

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Will Alex Smith’s return hurt or help Washington QB Dwayne Haskins?

Dwayne Haskins is expected to be the QB1 in Washington, but the return of Alex Smith could provide an interesting competition this fall.

News broke over the weekend that Washington QB Alex Smith was removed from the PUP list and activated for football activities. While this is an incredible step in his recovery from what seemed like a career-ending injury, it now raises some questions for the Washington Football Team.

With Smith being healthy, does that mean that he can regain the starting position over Dwayne Haskins? Does Smith’s return act as a distraction for Haskins going forward, seeing as he now seemingly has more competition for a job that was thought to be already his? There are two different ways to look at it, but if you were to ask coach Ron Rivera, he’d tell you that bringing competition to practice is never a bad thing.

“If Alex is healthy and continues to get healthy and we do activate him, he’s going to be in the throes of this competition,” Rivera said last week. “It’s going to unfold very nicely as a football team for us because competition is only going to make you better. It’s going to push the young guys as well.”

It’s unlikely that Smith competes for that starting job right away, but he will seemingly be in the mix all season, and his presence behind Haskins should keep the second-year player on the top of his game, knowing that he could be replaced by the veteran at any moment.

There is another way that Smith’s return is actually a huge benefit to Haskins, which we covered a couple of weeks ago when it was announced that Smith was initially cleared for football-related activities.

On the contrary, Smith’s return to football activities may be beneficial for Haskins, as he has one of the more prominent mentors back at his side on the practice field. Haskins went through his trials and tribulations during his rookie season in 2019, and several claims were made that Smith’s guidance and leadership helped Haskins along the way. It’s important to note that Smith was one of the players who NFL-star Patrick Mahomes credits for some of his early success as well.

Haskins talked about this last week, noting that he is aware of the competition that Smith could bring, but he’s excited to have that type of veteran mentor alongside him, pushing him to be better every step of the way.

“Even if we get to run together against each other in competition and drills, I’m trying to make sure he gets me better and I get him better,” Haskins said last week. “I look at Alex as someone who is a mentor in the room who can get me better every single day as far as who we’re getting ready for this week and who we’re getting ready for next week.”

It will be incredibly interesting to watch this situation going forward, as we see how quickly Smith progresses and gets back onto the field. At this point though, if everyone is able to stay mentally strong and hold certain their roles on the team, it should hopefully be smooth sailing in the Washington QB room.

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WATCH: Alex Smith’s family douses QB in champagne after roster activation news

Alex Smith was removed from the PUP list on Sunday, signifying a massive step in his already incredible comeback from injury.

If you want to see what pure joy and celebration looks like, watch the above video of Washington quarterback Alex Smith being doused in champagne by his family after the news that he was being activated from the PUP list and cleared for football activities.

After 21 months, 17 surgeries, and endless thoughts of both a career and life threatened by a gruesome leg injury suffered in 2018, Smith took the biggest step yet in his historic comeback, getting cleared by Washington’s doctors and allowed to work out with the team in practice. This doesn’t yet mean that he will threaten QB Dwayne Haskins for the starting spot, but he will have the chance to push the young player going forward.

There’s no other way to look at this story other than positive. A former No. 1 overall pick in the draft who got usurped with the San Francisco 49ers, usurped with the Kansas City Chiefs, and set back with the Washington Football Team. Now against incredible odds, Smith is back once again to try and prove himself. Here’s to you, Alex.

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Report: Alex Smith to be cleared for football activity in Washington

After a long recovery process, Alex Smith is reportedly going to be removed from the PUP list and cleared for football activity.

Several months ago, it was easy to believe that Washington quarterback Alex Smith would never put on pads and step onto a football field again.

On Sunday, Smith is reportedly going to be removed from the PUP list and be placed on the active roster in Washington, according to ESPN’s John Keim.

After a gruesome leg injury held him out of over a year of play, and threatened not only his football career, but his life at points, Smith will now have a chance to play meaningful snaps in Washington’s practices, as he competes with the likes of Dwayne Haskins and Kyle Allen to earn minutes on the team. Seeing him overthrow Haskins as the seeming sure-shot to earn the QB1 role in Washington sounds like a huge task, but considering the obstacles that he’s already overcome to get to this point, nothing is out of the question.

Smith is expected to be activated off the PUP list Sunday, the source said, putting him in line to be on the field when Washington begins full-pad work at training camp Tuesday. His wife, Elizabeth, posted a video on Instagram earlier Saturday night of Smith’s family spraying him with champagne. She wrote, “Hard work pays off! Lots to celebrate in the Smith house tonight.”

At this point, just getting onto the active roster in Washington is more than you could have ever asked for from Smith, so anything he accomplishes from here on out is an absolute cherry on top of the Sunday. Here is a heartfelt congratulations to Alex, who keeps on pushing the boundaries of what is possible with some hard work and dedication.

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Terry McLaurin want’s to be the ‘go-to-guy’ in Washington’s offense

McLaurin knows that there are increased expectations for him in 2020, but he is ready to be the go-to guy in Washington’s offense.

No matter what you thought about Washington’s Terry McLaurin coming out in his rookie season, there’s no doubt that he surpassed all expectations, quickly becoming one of the most electric WRs in the NFL, and easily claiming the top spot on the Washington offense.

Now, with all eyes on him, as he goes into his second year, McLaurin says that he is ready to take on that extra attention, and he relishes the chance to be a true No. 1 wide receiver in Washington.

“My job, I feel like, is to be a guy that can be that go-to guy, be the receiver when we need a play, we’re going to Terry there’s no doubt about it,” McLaurin said, via NBC Sports Washington. “I want to be that guy. I expect to be that person.”

Expectations will be high, and the lack of a sure-shot No. 2 receiver in Washington will allow opposing defenses to key-in on McLaurin’s every move, at least early on in the season, making his job that much tougher. No matter, though. The young WR knows that he has the skill-set to continue his great ascension in the league, and there isn’t much that’s going to get in his way.

“It’s just a matter of making sure I form that trust in the offensive staff, in the quarterbacks, and in all my teammates as well, is to be that guy each and every down,” he said.

If McLaurin can continue to grow on the same trajectory that we saw last year, and QB Dwayne Haskins can grow along with him, we could be watching the early years of a truly special connection.

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Washington’s ‘Under 25’ talent ranked as 11th best in NFL

When you look at the roster talent under the age of 25, Washington stands in the upper half of the league for 2020.

The Washington Football Team may not be good enough to compete for a playoff spot this season, or even the next, but the future is still bright in D.C., with a young roster full of highly-talented players who can carve out a path in the NFL.

Recently ESPN took a look at all of the 32 teams’ players under the age of 25, and determined who was in the best position going into the future. Washington came out at No. 11 in the league, with a number of ‘blue-chip’ players like Chase Young, Terry McLaurin, Daron Payne, Montez Sweat, and Dwayne Haskins leading the way.

It might not be prudent to plan around the Washington Football Team’s playoff chances in 2020, but it’s hard not to see their climb from 30th in the under-25 rankings in 2018 to 13th last year and now 11th this year and have hope for their eventual success. The team has been disciplined in its approach to accumulating young talent, forgoing the headline grab of skill players to select unsexy values such as defensive tackle Daron Payne and edge rusher Montez Sweat in the first round in recent seasons.

The breakdown from ESPN goes on to note that Washington’s defense is unlikely to hold them back in the near future, but questions about the offense remain. Haskins is unproven, and there is a vacuum on the skill position depth chart outside of Terry McLaurin. However, with a number of young players who will have a chance to step up into a starting role this season, it’s highly possible that Washington continues to move up in this ranking next season.

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