Washington Football Team Names Kyle Allen Its Starting Quarterback In Week 5 Matchup Versus Rams

The Washington Football Team announced Wednesday that it will start quarterback Kyle Allen against the Los Angeles Rams at FedExField in Week 5, benching former first-round pick Dwayne Haskins Jr. after he led the team to a 1-3 start to the 2020 season.

In Haskins’ first four starts this season, his completion percentage hovered below 60 percent in every game, except in the team’s Week 4 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The sophomore QB has 939 passing yards in four games, four touchdowns and three interceptions. He has been sacked 13 times by opposing defenses and recorded two lost fumbles. In four games, Haskins ranked last in the league in total QBR at 30.6, 27th in completion percentage (61.0) and 26th in yards per pass attempt (6.43).

According to Pro Football Focus, Haskins is in the bottom three in the league among starting quarterbacks in percentage of accurate passes this season at 50.4 percent. Mitchell Trubisky, who was benched when Chicago was playing the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3, and Carson Wentz are the only two other starters in the league with worse rankings than the former Buckeye.

Despite the offense averaging just under 20 points per game throughout the first four weeks, head coach Ron Rivera had said that he would stick with Haskins at quarterback. Specifically after an especially poor performance against the Cleveland Browns in Week 3 in which Haskins threw three interceptions and recorded a fumble, Rivera expressed his support of Haskins.

“I just got done talking to Dwayne and I told him, ‘I’m behind you. I’m going to stick with you, so you go out and play football,’” Rivera said following the loss.

Rivera compared coaching Haskins to coaching a young Cam Newton in Carolina. Despite some mediocre performances in his rookie campaign, including one game in which Newton threw four interceptions against the Detroit Lions, Rivera stood by him.

“The truth of the matter is, how is he going to learn?” Rivera said. “Is he going to learn taking the scout team snaps? No. The only way we’re going to figure out where Dwayne is and what he can do for us is to put him back out on the football field. That’s how he grows.”

Apparently the time for growth has an expiration date though. Despite having his best start of the season against the Ravens in which he completed 32 of 45 passes for a career-high 314 yards, Haskins’ time is up for now in Washington.

In a press conference with the media Wednesday, Rivera explained the reasoning behind his decision, including scheduling, complications surrounding the pandemic, and the state of the NFC East. His goal was to emerge out of the first four games of the season with a 2-2 record. With three of the next four games against division opponents, Rivera said that he wanted a quarterback with more experience. Entering Week 5 of the season, Washington is in second place, ahead of the 1-3 Dallas Cowboys because of a win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1.

“This is not an indictment on Dwayne as much as it is an indictment on the benefit of four preseason games to work through things,” Rivera said. “Because of that, he’s behind in his development of that system.”

Rivera said that Haskins has an “NFL arm” but not enough experience to guide Washington through a crucial upcoming four weeks. He added that Haskins was disappointed upon receiving the news.

“He just hasn’t had enough work yet,” Rivera said. “That’s the thing that I hope everybody understands. But he only played one year in college. He played very limited last year…We gave him a chance to start four games and truly evaluate. But with the division where it is right now, I’d be stupid to not give it a shot and see what happens in the next four games.”

Allen, for his part, began his NFL career in 2018 with the Carolina Panthers. He started just one game in his rookie season, but would go on to start 12 games in 2019. During that season, he recorded 303 completions in 489 attempts for 3,322 yards, 17 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. Allen was traded to Washington on March 23 for a 2020 fifth-round draft pick.

Allen expressed his excitement on starting to the media Wednesday.

“I’m glad that we’re still in the playoff race,” Allen said. “I think this is an interesting division this year. It’s been somewhat of a slow start for I think everyone. So, for us in the middle of the division right now with a chance to win on Sunday and give us a chance to get back on top of it is a great opportunity.”

As someone who has served as a backup throughout his short career, Allen said that he is always prepared for his number to be called.

“I’m not going to say I’m not surprised,” Allen said. “I’m not going to say I’m surprised. I think that’s the name of the game in the NFL, especially for a guy like me who came into the league undrafted, fourth string to start, got limited reps early in camp. I’m always here to support whoever’s in there. But if it’s my opportunity, I’m going to go. I’m going to be ready for it.”

Because of his experience, Allen said that he can relate to Haskins’ position.

“It’s a tough position,” Allen said. “There’s a lot of adversity. I feel what he’s feeling. I felt this last year, I felt this in college, I felt this in high school. So we’re all here for each other in the QB room.”

In addition to Allen, Washington also has backup quarterback Alex Smith on its roster, who will serve as the No. 2 QB moving forward. Smith was cleared to play after suffering a gruesome and serious leg injury last November.

“He understands it and I want to put the ball in the hands of someone who has been in it,” Rivera said. “That’s my thought process through that, just to see what happens. Again, we have three capable quarterbacks. We have two guys right now that I’ve lined up at one and two and that’s how we’re going to go with it.”

Regardless of who is at quarterback, Rivera stressed that the ultimate goal remains the same: to win football games.

“We’ll see how it goes,” Rivera said. “That’s the thing everybody has to understand: we are who we are…Some people might not agree with me, but that’s fine. For me personally and for this football team, I’m taking my shot. I’m going to see what happens in these next four. I’m here to win. Now’s an opportunity to see if we can.”