Not even two years ago, the Washington Football Team — then still operating under its old name — decided to invest the 15th overall pick in the draft in quarterback Dwayne Haskins. Now, the former first-rounder has been let go by the club.
Head coach Ron Rivera released the following statement:
This afternoon I met with Dwayne and informed him that we would be releasing him. I told him that I believe it benefits both parties that we go our separate ways. We want to thank Dwayne for his contributions these last two seasons and wish him well moving forward.
Haskins entered the NFL as a highly sought-after prospect, but never lived up to the potential he showed at Ohio State. 16 games into his NFL career, he has completed just 60.1 percent of his throws for 2,804 yards as well as 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Most importantly, though, he lost his starting job not once but twice this year and also made headlines after breaking Covid-19 protocols. A tumultuous tenure thus finds an early end.
The question is now this: Could the New England Patriots be interested in putting a waiver claim on Haskins based on his potential?
It certainly seems possible with the team already out of the playoff race and facing serious questions at the game’s most important position heading into the offseason. However, such a move would still be a major surprise given Haskins’ contract — it has a fully-guaranteed value of $4.27 million over the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
If anything, the Patriots would probably wait until he hit the open market. Given how his tenure with the Football Team ended, though, even that seems like a stretch at this point in time.