Haskins Going Deep?

How did the Redskins and specifically Dwayne Haskins fare in the deep passing game last year?

The answer, according to ProFootballFocus.com (PFF) and also your eyes is not good. At all.

Haskins was ranked 30th by PFF with a 25.9 percent deep completion rate, a 7.2 yards per attempt rate and a 41.4 passer rating.

PFF's explanation: "There's not much to like about Haskins’ numbers from his rookie season except the mitigating circumstances that he was really without many viable passing targets, with only really rookie Terry McLaurin showing up reliably. Even McLaurin was responsible for dropping one of Haskins’ best passes, which would have moved the needle on his numbers given his low sample size, but the PFF grade accounts for that, and the grade was also bad. Washington needs Haskins to take a step forward in this area, just as the Giants do with Daniel Jones."

Video clip of Haskins incompletion to Terry McLaurin against the Lions provided by Mark Bullock of The Athletic.

Some may disagree with PFF (many in the righteous media do!) but you shouldn't.

PFF charts everything and has a precise method for studies like this and I believe them. You don't have to but that's your choice and it's not a good one.

The only qualifier for this ranking is that a 'deep throw" is defined as one that is "20 yards downfield."

This is a perfect example via NFL GamePass.

Here's a good one to Kelvin Harmon against the Lions via Mark Bullock of The Athletic and NFL Game Pass.

I pointed this out constantly about the Redskins passing offense, mostly under Jay Gruden.

The Redskins deep ball accuracy was awful and it didn't matter who the quarterback was. Kirk Cousins, Alex Smith, Case Keenum and Haskins who only played most of one game before Gruden was fired.

It wasn't that the Redskins couldn't throw the deep ball, it was that they constantly over threw it.

Period. Check out the 1:45 mark of this video breakdown courtesy of Brian Baldinger.

This is a perfect example of the Redskins missing a wide open deep shot by way over throwing the ball.

It's weird. Usually a bad deep passing offense is because a quarterbacks' arm is not strong enough or the ball is off-target by being behind a receiver or too wide in front.

For Washington, it's been misfiring on deep throws by distance.

I can think of at least five touchdowns that they missed because of this issue since 2016. That may not seem like a lot but in some of those years, one touchdown would have completely changed the landscape.

Here's the bottom line: If you get your chance, you've got to pull the string.

It's been a problem for Haskins, but it has been a bigger problem for every Redskins quarterback over the last handful of years.

What do you think of these numbers & rankings Redskins fans? Do you want a shorter, more controlled passing attack? Sign up free, register and join us by voicing your opinion on our community pages and right below!

Chris Russell is the Publisher of RedskinsReport.com & Sports Illustrated's Washington Redskins channel. He can be heard on 106.7 The FAN in the Washington D.C. area and world-wide on Radio.com. Chris also hosts the "Locked on Redskins" Podcast and can be read via subscription to Warpath Magazine. You can e-mail Chris at russellmania09@Gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @Russellmania621.