Dwayne Haskins Named Washington's Week 1 Starting QB vs. Eagles

To the surprise of no one, Dwayne Haskins will be Washington's Week 1 starting quarterback.

Head coach Ron Rivera announced the second-year quarterback will take the team's opening snap against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 13.

"Dwayne's lived up to everything we talked about in January," Rivera told reporters Wednesday.

After Rivera showed support for Haskins earlier in the day, the quarterback later made it clear he was behind his coach:

Even though Alex Smith was cleared for football activities earlier this summer, there was little question Haskins would be under center for Week 1. Haskins was Washington's first-round pick in 2019, and the team needs to evaluate whether he's its quarterback of the future after a rough rookie season.

The Ohio State product threw for 1,365 yards and seven touchdowns against seven interceptions in nine games (seven starts), with Washington posting a 2-5 record with him as a starter.

Those numbers aren't particularly appealing, but Haskins may have had the worst situation of any quarterback in football last year. He was playing without his star left tackle, Trent Williams, who sat out all season because of a medical dispute with the organization. He also had a backfield led by a 34-year-old running back in Adrian Peterson, and Derrius Guice, who saw his first NFL action. And he did so without the support of his lame-duck head coach, Jay Gruden.

Many of those issues still exist. Washington's skill-position talent is severely lacking, though the team drafted running back Antonio Gibson and wideout Antonio Gandy-Golden to possibly provide a boost. However, Rivera has been supportive of Haskins' development throughout the offseason and gave him the full vote of confidence Wednesday.