Jay Gruden: Dwayne Haskins “Deserves A Shot” To Start

Redskins HC Jay Gruden told reporters that this week that first-round QB Dwayne Haskins “deserves a shot” to be their Week 1 starter. 

“Oh, for sure,” Gruden said, via ESPN.com. “I’d be silly not to. He’s put enough out there on tape to say he deserves a shot, without a doubt.

“I don’t know quite what he can do in the NFL in this system because it’s new to him, but his ability warrants the fact that, hey, let’s take a peek at this big son of a b—-.”

The Redskins also have Colt McCoy and Case Keenum competing for the starting job this summer, but Haskins will be the one to watch.

“Dwayne is the wild card,” Gruden said.

“You see the ‘wow’ plays and you’re like, ‘Jesus,'” Gruden said. “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.”

According to Gruden, the most important thing for Haskins will be getting faster at his reads while making accurate throws.

“The most important thing is to quicken his reads so he can reset his feet and get them underneath him to make accurate throws. That comes with time,” Gruden said. “Sometimes, he’s in such a hurry that he might be late and then he feels he has to rush.”

Haskins, 21, was selected by the Redskins with the No. 14 overall pick after many believed he would end up being a top-10 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. According to OverTheCap.com, Haskins receives a four-year, $14,416,600 rookie contract that includes $8,504,800 signing bonus. 

Haskins’ contract includes a fifth-year option for the Redskins to pick up in 2022.

During his college career, Haskins threw for 5,145 yards while completing 70.2 percent of his passes to go along with 51 touchdowns and nine interceptions over the course of two seasons and 21 games. He also rushed for 208 yards and four touchdowns.