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Louis Riddick says Dwayne Haskins should sit until Washington figures out WR situation

By Bryan Perez

COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 3: Quarterback Dwayne Haskins #7 of the Ohio State Buckeyes passes in the fourth quarter against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Ohio Stadium on November 3, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Nebraska 36-31. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 3: Quarterback Dwayne Haskins #7 of the Ohio State Buckeyes passes in the fourth quarter against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Ohio Stadium on November 3, 2018 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State defeated Nebraska 36-31. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /
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Should the Washington Redskins sit Dwayne Haskins until a legitimate set of receivers emerge in the lineup?

When the Washington Redskins selected Ohio State QB Dwayne Haskins in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, a new era of Redskins football emerged. Gone are the days of Alex Smith and the dink-and-dunk passing attack that frustrated fans week after week. Instead, Haskins is expected to bring some juice and excitement, as well as some downfield shots, to FedEx Field this fall.

But before Haskins can be an effective NFL quarterback, he has to have a strong supporting cast.

Washington entered April’s draft with some holes on the depth chart at wide receiver, especially with the departure of Jamison Crowder in free agency. Crowder signed a lucrative deal with the Jets and left the Redskins with a bunch of underachievers like Josh Doctson, Paul Richardson, and Brian Quick, to name a few.

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The good news for Haskins is that the Redskins did add two promising rookies in the draft. They selected his former college teammate, Terry McLaurin, in the third round and NC State’s Kelvin Harmon in the sixth. Both players will contribute immediately as rookies.

But their inexperience, combined with the lack of career production from the veterans on the roster, has ESPN NFL Analyst Louis Riddick suggesting Haskins should sit the bench until a legitimate receiving corps emerges.

“Do they have enough weapons on the outside?” Riddick said via ESPN.com. “That in third-and-3 or third-and-6, situations when you know he’ll get pressured, can they beat man-to-man? Or will he be sitting there holding the ball and getting his head knocked off? That’s the part that will cause me the most pause. That’s why I said I’d like to see him sit. I don’t know if Washington has that part; I don’t know if he has those guys who can win one-on-one, and that’s what scares me. … Let him sit until you feel you have that part of it covered.”

Haskins wouldn’t be the first rookie quarterback to start his career with an underwhelming group of receivers at his disposal. As recently as 2017, the Bears sent the then second overall pick, Mitch Trubisky, into the lineup with players like Kendall Wright and Dontrelle Inman as his top options in the passing game. The results were mixed, but the experience Trubisky gained that season contributed to his much-improved season in 2018.

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I wouldn’t expect Haskins to sit the bench because the Redskins are worried about who he’s throwing to. If that was the case, he shouldn’t have been drafted in the first round.

Highly-drafted quarterbacks are expected to make everyone around them better, including their wide receivers. If Haskins can’t do that, then his ceiling is limited in the pros.

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