Do you remember that video of Dwayne Haskins that came out midway through the 2019 season? That one that showed him on the sideline desperately talking to his offensive line and trying to figure out what he could do to better help them?
Any fan of the Washington Redskins probably watched that video and got a pit in their stomach, as they were forced to sit by and watch the offensive line virtually ignore their rookie quarterback try to fire them up as if he were a lap-dog yapping in their ears.
A lot of things have changed since then, however. Haskins eventually picked up his first career win, and down the stretch, he started to look like a half-decent quarterback. Since the offseason began, multiple reports have surfaced that he’s spending the majority of his time in the gym working to perfect his craft, and some workout videos have surfaced of the young QB in the last week that shows improvement.
According to ESPN’s John Keim, the hard work and dedication from Haskins are starting to be recognized in the facility. On his podcast, The John Keim Report, the ESPN reporter claimed that some veteran players have earned some respect for the second-year player as well.
Everything I’ve heard about him this offseason has been good. From multiple people — Rivera said it publicly — but I’ve heard privately people talk about how much he’s been in the building, and how much he’s interacting with teammates. One defensive player told an acquaintance that he almost never talked to Dwayne during the season last year. He was indifferent to the rookie QB — not that he disliked him, just indifferent. Now, he’s gotten to know him well, and he really likes him. Now the players are starting to see the work that he’s putting in, and trust me, that makes a world of difference, because it’s a continuation of what they saw at the end of the year, and I think that’s important.
It seems that Haskins and his teammates have come a long way since that pep talk that was heard by no one on the sideline last season. We will now have to wait and see if it leads to any more wins this season.
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