Fans of the Washington Redskins have been tuned into the workings of the team for the entire 2020 offseason, so it’s not news to them to hear that quarterback Dwayne Haskins has shed some weight while picking up a leadership role in the locker room; that he’s spent his time outside of football attending rallies for Black Lives Matter and working to become a leader in the community as well.
While Redskins fans have seen this plenty across their timelines, the national media is starting to pick up what the second-year QB is putting down, and a bunch of them are starting to buy-in.
The roundtable on NFL Network’s ‘Good Morning Football’ recently discussed the improvement that Haskins has made this offseason, and Peter Schrager had a lot of ‘attaboy’s’ to offer.
"If he's as good on the field as he is out in the community, he's got big plans."
Will @dh_simba7 offseason growth translate to success in year two?
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— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) June 18, 2020
“I’ve spoken to folks in the D.C. organization with the Redskins and it’s been astounding to me, hearing the rave reviews about Dwayne Haskins this offseason,” Schrager said. “The weight-loss is one thing; the leadership on Zoom is another thing. Then there’s somebody saying ‘Hey, I’m the face of the franchise.’ When the George Floyd murder occurred, everybody was looking, ‘What’s going to happen in the NFL, How’s this going to be handled?’ Dwayne Haskins went to Doug Williams, the first African-American quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl, who is the VP with the Washington Redskins, and said ‘How can I make a difference? How can I go out and do something?’ Haskins then went out and attended the protest, and was a part of it. He was in the streets, and he was living and breathing it.”
While Haskins took a big part in standing up as a warrior against social injustice in the minority community, his work in the film and weight room has been just as impressive. You’ve all read the reports that he’s dropped 10 pounds this offseason alone and toned his body, shedding a layer of baby fat that was present in 2019; he’s also become a film junky who has stepped up in the QB room.
“This is his team, and Dwayne Haskins has taken this team under his wing this season,” Schrager said. “Stuff like him being the leader in the QB room and on Zoom, we roll our eyes at it but that matters when it’s Haskins who last year couldn’t get on the field because of Case Keenum and Colt McCoy. He is the No. 1 guy; he is the voice in the room, and I think there is going to be a giant leap for Haskins in year two, and a lot of it may be maturity and leadership off the field, which is as important as anything when you’re a young quarterback in the NFL.”
The biggest test for Haskins will come on the field, where he’s going to have to prove himself when it gets to be third down and long, and the team is relying on him to make a play. But with the confidence that he’s shown, and his willingness to tell those around him, ‘Hey, I’ve got this,’ I believe those will be converted more and more going forward.
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