Commanders

Washington Benches Dwayne Haskins For Kyle Allen At QB

October 7, 2020

According to Ian Rapoport, the Washington Football Team is benching QB Dwayne Haskins for QB Kyle Allen, who will start this week against the Rams.

Washington confirmed the news and made it official.

QB Kyle Allen will start against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) October 7, 2020

The team met with Haskins last week to let him know his play had to improve after he threw three interceptions in a winnable game against the Browns. He didn’t throw any more this past Sunday but the team’s offense never really got off the ground in a loss to the Ravens.

Haskins was the only quarterback to take first-team reps during training camp this summer. However, Allen took over as the starter last year for OC Scott Turner in the same offense with the Panthers.

Washington is right in the mix in the NFC East in the standings and Rivera clearly feels Allen gives them the best chance to win going forward.

“There’s a frustration to it,” Rivera said last week on the Washington Football Talk podcast. “Right now, I’m at the position where we have to see the growth. If we never play him, he never grows, but there is a point where you say, ‘OK, maybe taking a step back and watching is the best thing for you now.’ We will see.”

It’s a steep fall for Haskins, who won’t even be the backup this week after being a first-round pick last year, according to Tom Pelissero. Alex Smith will be Allen’s No. 2 against the Rams this week.

Haskins, 23, was selected by Washington 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 received a four-year, $14,416,600 rookie contract that included an $8,504,800 signing bonus.

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

In 2020, Haskins has started four games for Washington and completed 61 percent of his passes for 939 yards to go along with four touchdowns and three interceptions. He has also rushed for 30 yards.

We’ll have more on Haskins as the news is available.