Ron Rivera Just Put Dwayne Haskins on Notice With an Alarming Message
The first roadblock in Dwayne Haskins and Ron Rivera’s partnership in Washington has arrived.
Haskins, the then-Redskins’ first-round pick a year ago, has struggled in his last two starts. The Washington Football Team dropped both of those games after an exciting Week 1 comeback victory against Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Rivera isn’t in the mood to let this roadblock turn into a destroyed highway. The veteran head coach just put his young quarterback on notice in a big way.
Dwayne Haskins has had an inconsistent sophomore season
The overall numbers through three games in Dwayne Haskins’ second NFL season aren’t looking so hot.
Although Haskins has thrown four touchdowns to three interceptions and picked up 33 first-downs on 57 completions, he’s again struggled with his accuracy. Haskins hasn’t completed more than 58% of his passes in one game and threw three interceptions in a 34-20 loss to Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns in Week 3.
Haskins has also fumbled four times this season and lost two.
The 2020 season always figured to be a strange one for Washington, even before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
There is a new regime in Washington, spearheaded by former Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera, and Haskins needed to prove himself in front of people who didn’t draft him or appoint him as the franchise’s future leader.
Washington head coach Ron Rivera just put Haskins on notice
Ron Rivera didn’t need long after Washington’s Week 3 loss to remind Dwayne Haskins of the stakes.
Rivera, somewhat surprisingly, aired those frustrations in a public forum. According to NBC Sports, Rivera addressed Haskins’ struggles during the postgame press conference and planted a large chunk of the blame on his quarterback’s shoulders.
“There are guys in that locker room that are playing well enough for us to win,” he said. “There is a cut-off point for me. There is.”
Still, Rivera warned Washington fans and media members that they shouldn’t expect a quarterback change anytime soon. Rivera said he intends to “take my lumps” with Haskins at quarterback.
“The truth of the matter is how is he going to learn? Is he going to learn by taking the show team snaps? No. The only way he can learn and we can truly find out where Dwayne is and what he can do for us is to put him back on the football field and let him get exposed. That is how he grows.”
Rivera compared the situation to him and the Panthers taking lumps with a young Cam Newton in 2011 and 2012.
Can Dwayne Haskins redeem himself in Ron Rivera’s eyes?
Dwayne Haskins always needed to prove himself to Ron Rivera and Washington’s new regime.
This roadblock is an excellent opportunity for Haskins to prove he is indeed the right man to quarterback Washington going forward.
Unfortunately for Haskins, though, that opportunity comes against two of the NFL’s most dangerous teams this season. Haskins and Washington host Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in Week 4, the 2020 version of the ‘Battle of the Beltway.’
Jared Goff and the Rams travel to Washington for a Week 5 showdown against Haskins and friends.
That doesn’t mean Haskins can’t make the most of the next two weeks. If Haskins improves his accuracy and cuts down on the mistakes, he can keep Washington in the game and, possibly, guide them to a home upset or two.
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