Report: Dwayne Haskins Could Be Benched for Kyle Allen; 'Must Improve Greatly'

Dwayne Haskins' tenure as Washington's starting quarterback could soon be over.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported coach Ron Rivera could bench Haskins for Kyle Allen if the second-year quarterback does not "improve greatly." The move could happen as soon as Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Haskins has struggled to prove himself as a capable NFL starting quarterback in his young career, throwing for 1,990 yards and 11 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. While he was in one of the league's worst situations as a rookie, Haskins has shown almost no progress through the first three weeks. His side-by-side splits of 2019 and 2020 are almost mirror images on a per-game level.

Rivera acknowledged to reporters this week that there is a "cutoff point" with Haskins.

"There is, and you brought up the point, and it's a very good point, that there are guys in that locker room that are playing well enough for us to win, and again we have to make sure everybody is playing well enough for us to win at that point. And there is a cutoff point for me. There is," Rivera said.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Rivera met with Haskins this week and told him his play must improve.

Allen has familiarity with Rivera and Washington's offense after spending two seasons with the Carolina Panthers. He started 12 games last season after an injury to Cam Newton, throwing for 3,322 yards and 17 touchdowns against 16 interceptions.

Washington also has Alex Smith on its roster, but the veteran has been a healthy scratch all season. Smith has been trying to work his way back after a career-threatening leg injury in November 2018. It's unclear when or if the franchise would be willing to put him on the field.