ORCHARD PARK, NY – NOVEMBER 3: Dwayne Haskins #7 of the Washington Redskins drops back to throw a pass during the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. – On Sunday, Washington Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins makes his first start at FedEx Field when the ‘Skins host the New York Jets.
While this marks his first home start for the Redskins, Haskins has been present at the team’s home games since his high school years.
“I remember in high school I used to go over to the stadium,” Haskins said, reminiscing on the times he would travel to FedEx Field as a kid to watch the Redskins play. “Of course, being able to play at home and being from this area means a lot more to me than it would for another guy.
“Being able to play in front of my family, play in front of the fans that’ve been watching me since I was 15 years old means a lot to me. I just want to be able to go out there, go one play at a time and hopefully get a W.”
Haskins was born in New Jersey, but moved to Maryland where he played high school football at Bullis School. According to Google Maps, it’s just a 30 minute drive from FedEx Field.
Dwayne Haskins #7 of the Washington Redskins. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
The Redskins are coming off of a bye week, which Haskins used to return to his high school roots by working out with his high school quarterback coach.
While the rookie has received a lot of criticism this season on whether there’s been a lack of preparation, he’s been happy with that aspect of the game and feels his improvement will come down to increased playing time.
“I felt comfortable with the playbook before, it’s just now I’m seeing the reps for the first time, seeing them live,” Haskins said. “It’s different than when you just hear the play and talk about the play and you never really went through the play live before. Now that I’m able to get multiple reps with different stuff and different looks and different things that can happen in the game, the plays are a lot easier to go execute.”
In three appearances this season (one start), Haskins has completed 27 of 44 passes for 284 yards. He’s been intercepted four times and has yet to throw a touchdown. The 15th overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft has been sacked eight times.
The Redskins take the field at 1:00 p.m. against the Jets this Sunday.
