Dwayne Haskins: "I'm Just Trying To Be a Great Leader"

Dwayne Haskins arrived a wide-eyed rookie who quickly learned he was unwanted by the coaching staff last year. It would be a maelstrom of a season that ended with the passer realizing he needed to get better or get out.

Haskins has chosen not only to get better, but become a leader. A bright spot in town that only Washington quarterbacks can truly become. He wants to be a team captain, respected by those in the huddle with a dozen years of experience. The passer wants to be different things to different teammates while combining them into a team.

And Haskins wants to be respected in the Washington community after spending time downtown during the Black Lives Matter protests trying to better understand what’s happening socially in his home region.

That first year has produced an unexpected investment of a more seasoned passer and person who relishes the potential competition of Alex Smith. Over the offseason, he worked on his mental and physical game, losing weight and gaining knowledge from legendary players on how they handled things.

This is not the same wide-eyed rookie that maybe lost a little confidence when feeling unwanted.

“I think mostly it’s just a mentality going in every day to handle your business both on and off the field,” Haskins said. “Just having a certain presence and confidence when commanding an offense and when commanding a huddle. Having learned that going into the last couple games of the season last year, I’ve been just trying to master that same edge that a [Tampa Bay’s] Tom Brady or [New Orleans’] Drew Brees has when he steps into a building you know he’s there. Not necessarily having been named [a starter] right now, but our offense needs a guy who’s going to take ownership and lead and, why not that be me?”

It all sounds good until some defenders pops him hard come opening day or hurry his throws into 50/50 situations. With no preseason games, evaluating Haskins’ readiness is the biggest guessing game since quarterback Jeff George missed the 2001 exhibitions with a minor injury, then was cut following an 0-2 start after barely scoring and posting a 34.3 pass rating. George always looked great in practice before melting in games.

Haskins isn’t in danger of being cut like George, but his career is probably on the line. If Haskins can’t beat out Smith should the latter be healthy enough to return from a 2018 leg injury, then Washington is once again out of sync with its coach/quarterback combination and in the 2021 lottery for Clemson passer Trevor Lawrence. Smith wouldn’t be a long-term solution for new coach Ron Rivera so either the latter invests in Haskins now or he’s looking for a passer next spring.

Haskins won’t give Rivera an easy out for wanting his own quarterback. The offseason was spent doing all the right things. Aside losing weight and throwing in parks to receivers, Haskins is clearly a more mature person than last year when trying to be a quiet reserve that then coach Jay Gruden forced him to be. Once Gruden was gone after an 0-5 start, Haskins was soon playing. He looked as lost as someone who just passed their beltway exit at times, but there were enough moments to suggest this season would be better.

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“Just being a better leader,”he said, “you have to be able to sit down and look at yourself in the mirror and say what did I do well and what did I not do well? What do I have to improve on and what do I have keep improving on and what are my areas of weakness on and off the field and how do I make those weaknesses my strengths and how do I make my strengths even stronger?”

Suddenly, that wide-eyed look will instead stare down defenders instead of receivers.

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Rick Snider is an award-winning sports writer who has covered Washington sports since 1978. He first wrote about the Washington football team in 1983 before becoming a beat writer in 1993. Snider currently writes for several national and international publications and is a Washington tour guide. Follow Rick on Twitter at @Snide_Remarks