Gruden giving 'wild card' Haskins chance to win QB battle
After an impressive offseason program, rookie Dwayne Haskins will be given every opportunity to win the Washington Redskins' quarterback competition.
Haskins, the 15th overall pick from this year's draft out of Ohio State, is battling veterans Case Keenum and Colt McCoy for the starting job.
"Dwayne is the wild card," head coach Jay Gruden told John Keim of ESPN.
The Redskins anointed Haskins as their quarterback of the future when they drafted him but were more reserved about calling him their QB of the present. The 22-year-old started just 14 games in college, prompting questions about his ability to make an immediate impact.
"You see the 'wow' plays and you're like, 'Jesus,'" Gruden said of the youngster. "When he's on, there's nobody you'd rather have than Dwayne. Really. It's pretty. He stands tall; he has a cannon, and he can quicken up his release. He's got great touch. Strong, powerful arm; strong, powerful body. But sometimes when he's off, he's abnormally off. It's kind of weird."
Washington will have to weigh the "wow" plays against the equally jarring mistakes expected from any rookie signal-caller.
"The most important thing is to quicken his reads so he can reset his feet and get them underneath him to make accurate throws," said Gruden. "That comes with time. Sometimes, he's in such a hurry that he might be late and then he feels he has to rush."
It's clear, though, that Haskins possesses more upside than Keenum and McCoy, both of whom have served as backups for the majority of their careers.
"He can just see the whole field extremely well," Gruden said. "For a young quarterback, a lot of times when there are rushers they have a tendency to look down. He has a natural ability to keep his eyes up and down the field. It's like a video game where he can see and make all the throws. There's a lot to like about him, and there's a lot to clean up, as we would expect. But he's been impressive.
"The comfort level he has to continue to get. When he calls a play and knows exactly what we're trying to do, or when I start to call a formation, he knows what play is coming. That will come with time, lots and lots of time."