Washington Football Team training camp news has taken a backseat to the Culture-Pandemic Sharknado since about March. There are about 45 good reasons why.
It’s as if Xs and Os news barely registers on the radar anymore. Let’s fix that with a quick snapshot of all the positions of, ah, Football Team, and the battles which lie therein.
Washington Football Team training camp battle royale: Quarterback
Likely starter: Dwayne Haskins
Likely backups: Alex Smith and Kyle Allen
Camp fodder: Steven Montez
Battle Royale is the hype; this one is actually easy, despite what some media pundits may tell you. Dwayne Haskins wins the job over Alex Smith for one simple reason: the long-term health of the team is better with Haskins as the starter, even if he isn’t progressing through his reads as well as Smith has been.
Speaking of long-term health; another leg injury to the impossibly heroic Smith will cause more sadness and projectile vomiting in Washington than politics. Please don’t make us endure that, Football Team. We all saw Project 11 just a few months ago. It’s too soon.
Back to Haskins. Looking at his 2019 stats – and trying to judge his potential based on that – is a fool’s errand.
There’s no telling how high the ceiling is for this kid. He really does have one of the best arms in the league, yet had one of the worst situations imaginable for a rookie QB, with a lame-duck coach, a nearly-bare cupboard of receiving talent, and an All-Pro LT who was MIA on CBD.
Throw in OC Scott Turner who will tailor a game plan around Haskins; add his improved physical conditioning and work attitude; it all adds up to a crow buffet waiting to happen. Those pundits who put the bust label on the new #7 might be embarrassed by their lazy research after Haskins makes his presence known in 2020.
Considering Smith’s injury, the feel-safe choice is to keep three QBs. Expect Allen to make the roster. He may even be listed above Smith on the depth chart to start the season, as the coaching staff gets more comfortable with the idea of his leg existing.
Depth Chart Projection: Haskins, Smith, Allen