Haskins’ Has Done Everything He Can To Prove His Worth This Offseason
In 2020, the off-season Dwayne Haskins has had to this point embody a man on a mission and a person who takes his profession seriously. With so many questions and concerns surrounding him last year, both before and during the season, he left nearly everyone wondering if he can cut it in the NFL.
Perception is not always reality, but he came across to some as a young player with a poor attitude, poor study habits, and just merely ill-prepared. However, things began to change when he became a full-time starter.
The comments from his teammates and coaches started to turn nearly all positive as his starts began to accumulate, and he had more opportunities on the field and off of it, with the certainty that he was the number one guy.
He prepared better, he saw the field better, and he became a bit more vocal. As a result, his statistical production became much better. The mentality and preparation that he has attained have carried over into this off-season, and nobody that matters (coaches and staff) on a day-to-day basis can deny his continued growth.
Yesterday, head coach Ron Rivera spoke with the media and mentioned how Haskins has taken what Rivera said to him to heart. His maturity has improved, his growth and development are visible, and his approach this off-season has Rivera excited to see Dwayne in person. Haskins’ spoke with the media yesterday as well and mentioned that growing as a leader is something that Rivera needed to see in him and would be necessary for the long run for winning football games. Haskins has done the best he can under the circumstances. He has practiced with his receivers as much as possible, and he has lost nearly 20 pounds to become a more “dynamic” player, as he describes it.
Haskins’ also directly acknowledged the reasons behind why this off-season was so vital for him, saying he wanted to be a man “about his business, and that is on and off the field.”
Haskins also was self-aware about his young age, understanding that there may be some maturity concerns as a person. “Now I am turning 23, still being young, still growing, I just wanted to – whatever there were, questions about immaturity or lack of whatever it was – I was going to change that. Whether it was true or not, but it was just for myself, I needed to do that for me, so I applied pressure with everything I did this off-season as far as my body and how I studied, and that’s just making a big difference.”
Haskins has taken significant steps this off-season to prove to everyone doubting him that you need to respect the steps that he has taken. Sure, there are two parts to his development going on, and we have yet to see the on-the-field side of it. However, we asked for growth, and Haskins’ to date has done just that. These are the steps anyone would love to see from a young quarterback who had plenty of questions surrounding him.
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Jamual Forrest has been a freelance sports journalist for four years, covering the Washington Redskins and can be heard as a co-host on The Hog Sty Network's "The Hog Sty" podcast. Additionally, Jamual contributes to The Hog Sty Network and SB Nation's Hogs Haven. You can follow Jamual on Twitter at @LetMualTellit and see his Redskins film breakdowns here.
