The Washington Football Team will have to roll the dice again to fix its quarterback issue.
The team announced on Monday that it had released 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins. Washington head coach Ron Rivera released a statement saying the following:
“This afternoon I met with Dwayne and informed him that we would be releasing him. I told him that I believe it benefits both parties that we go our separate ways. We want to thank Dwayne for his contributions these last two seasons and wish him well moving forward.”
We have released QB Dwayne Haskins pic.twitter.com/KRrWxWra7E
— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) December 28, 2020
Haskins’ release comes in the wake of a tortured press conference following a game in which he was benched following a controversy created when pictures of an un-maksed Haskins was seen partying in close proximity to others (he was fined.)
Haskins was never really able to get off the ground with Washington, throwing for 2,801 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions in 16 games and 13 starts. He had a couple of bright moments to close his rookie season in 2019, but this year has largely been a disaster for him.
Haskins was benched once for Kyle Allen at the start of the year and was most recently benched in favor of Taylor Heinecke, who didn’t even join Washington until December 8. Washington was 3-10 in the 13 games that Haskins started.
Haskins will be sent to waivers where any team will have the opportunity to put a claim in on him and pick up the rest of his rookie contract. Considering he hasn’t put together many good performances in the NFL, a team putting in a claim on him seems like a long shot right now.
With only one week left in the season, Haskins will probably find himself waiting until the offseason starts to find a new home.
As for Washington, it is back in the market for a young quarterback. Alex Smith has been a decent surprise, considering that him playing again in general wasn’t guaranteed, but he’s not the long-term solution for Washington’s quarterback problem. He can be a bridge quarterback, but they quickly need to find a rookie or a young quarterback to trade for to replace Haskins role on the team.
That will be a little more difficult if they beat the Eagles in Week 17 and end up making the playoffs, but even with a loss and final record of 6-10 they’d end up drafting in the middle of Round 1 and might not have a shot at any of the three QBs currently rated behind Trevor Lawrence: Justin Fields, Zach Wilson or Trey Lance.
That would mean looking at the free agency or trade market. Sam Darnold is an option if the Jets opt to draft a quarterback with the second overall pick. Marcus Mariota might be worth a swing as well if the Raiders are comfortable with him pursuing a starting quarterback role in 2021. If Washington isn’t afraid to part with a high draft pick, Matthew Stafford might be possible to add in a trade with the Lions.
There will be answers for Washington, but it might take some creativity on their part.