Franchise QB tops Washington Football Team's Christmas list originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
It’s Christmas Day and Santa Claus has dropped everything off. Kids should be happy, maybe the moms and dads too.
Unfortunately for the Washington Football Team, Santa can’t fix the quarterback situation before Sunday’s critical matchup against the Carolina Panthers.
Asked to describe the circumstances for the QBs heading into Week 16, Washington coach Ron Rivera called it “jumbled up.”
Santa knows the problems, after all, he sees everything. Santa knows Alex Smith is hurt but trying to fight his way back, and Santa definitely knows that Dwayne Haskins has landed on the naughty list.
What does the Big Man know above all else?
Washington does not have a long-term answer at quarterback.
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It isn’t Smith, who will turn 37 in May. This season he’s been solid as a starter and provides undeniable leadership, but his recent calf injury is also a reality check that his medicals are going to continue to be a question mark. His right leg required 17 surgeries to heal. It’s inevitable for that to bring complications.
It’s not Haskins either.
Even beyond the sometimes silly and sometimes selfish and sometimes downright dumb off-field antics, on the field Haskins has not shown enough to be considered the long-term answer at QB.
He just hasn’t.
In 12 NFL starts, Haskins has completed 60 percent of his passes for about 175 yards-per-game to go with 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. That doesn’t stand out, not for a former first-round pick.
If he was a perfect citizen, maybe it would be worth waiting around on Haskins. The situations have been tough; as a rookie the coaching staff didn’t want him and this year coronavirus canceled the offseason, severely limiting Haskins’ opportunities to learn the offense.
But he’s not a perfect citizen. There are multiple incidents of immaturity, and at this point, it’s no longer a question of when that will end, but rather if it ever will.
Add all of that up, and Washington needs a QB. Bad.
Ron Rivera has quickly built a defense that can compete with the best units across the league. The defense is young, but things change quickly in the NFL. Washington can’t wait around for a quarterback, this team needs somebody that can play right away. That doesn’t exclude a rookie passer, guys are coming into the league ready to hit the ground running. Look at Justin Herbert.
But that doesn’t mean Washington can just stick with Haskins and Smith.
It’s go time in Washington, certainly in 2021, and this team needs a franchise passer. Santa already knows.