Washington's Ron Rivera: 'By No Means' Are We Giving Up on Dwayne Haskins

Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera said Friday that despite the team's decision to bench 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins earlier this week, the team still has faith in him.

"By no means have I given up on him," Rivera said of Haskins.

Earlier this week, Washington announced Kyle Allen will start at quarterback against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, instead of Haskins.

Allen joined Washington this offseason after starting 12 games for the Panthers last year. In 2019, Allen threw for 3,322 yards and 17 touchdowns with 16 interceptions. He was acquired in a trade in March in exchange for a fifth-round pick. 

He spent two years in Carolina with Rivera and current offensive coordinator Scott Turner.

Haskins, the No. 15 pick in the 2019 NFL draft, threw for three interceptions in a loss against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 27, but later rebounded with a career-high 314 yards in the 31–17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens

Through four games, he has the lowest total QBR in the NFL. 

"There are things Dwayne was still learning to do that Kyle knows in terms of communicating with the offensive line," Rivera said Friday. "It's something as we go through this and progress, Dwayne will learn and see how these things are done."

Kickoff for Sunday's Washington-L.A. game is set for 1 p.m. ET.