Quarterbacks: Controversy vs Competition

QB Competition
As the Redskins season nears, the fog of who will be the starting quarterback has yet to clear. In the next few weeks, we’ll start to get an idea as to who head coach Jay Gruden plans to send out against the Eagles in Week 1. The uncertainty right now is due to an open quarterback competition between three contenders. Each with their own merits, and reason to be named the starter. What does each player bring to the table?

Competitor #1: Case Keenum

Keenum is an established veteran who has started 54 games in his career. Including two playoff games in a season where he led the Minnesota Vikings to the NFC Championship game. Keenum is currently the favorite to be the week one starter and he gives the team the best chance to stay afloat. However, staying afloat isn’t what the team is looking to do, even more so, it’s not what Jay Gruden is looking to do. Gruden is in a make or break season and if he plans to start Keenum, it needs to be because he believes he can win with Case. Another 7-9 season probably won’t mean Gruden keeps his job, especially if Keenum starts a majority of the season. Odds to Start Week One: 50/100

Competitor #2: Dwayne Haskins

    The 15th overall pick. The franchise QB. The rookie. Dwayne Haskins has a ton of potential, and is easily the most talented passer on the roster. He’s who the fans want, who the media wants, and ultimately he’s probably who the front office wants. If Jay Gruden isn’t convinced that he can compete for a playoff spot with Case Keenum, he must start Haskins. His best chance to stay around is to tie himself to Haskins. A strong rookie season from Haskins, playoffs or not, will give Gruden the chance to convince the front office that he is the guy to develop Dwayne into a true franchise quarterback.  Odds to Start Week One: 40/100

Competitor #3: Colt McCoy

    Colt McCoy is the one everyone forgets about. He’s had the most amount of time in Jay Gruden’s system. He’s developed a level of trust with Gruden that could be the deciding factor for this competition. If Case Keenum and Dwayne Haskins both struggle, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Colt McCoy trots out week one in Philadelphia. Odds to Start Week One: 10/100

QB Controversy

The Redskins must make their choice from the quarterback competition. However they must also be vigilant and avoid creating a quarterback controversy. There’s a number of ways they could do this, the first is waiting until the last minute to announce their starting quarterback. If the team doesn’t know who the starting quarterback is leading into week one, it will automatically lower team moral. How can you expect a team to be confident going into a week one road matchup against a bitter division rival when they don’t even know who’s gonna be their leader on the field? 

    The second scenario where the Redskins could create a controversy is if they choose to start Dwayne Haskins, and pull him in and out of the lineup throughout the season. The biggest way the Redskins could ruin Dwayne Haskins’ confidence is by pulling him after bad starts. It creates a lack of trust, consistency, and can really damage the mindset of a young signal caller. This is the absolute worst case scenario, and if Haskins starts week one, he needs to start the other 15 games as well. 

    The Redskins don’t know who will be their week one starter, and that’s ok. Competition brings the best out of people. However, the team must be careful they don’t turn this quarterback competition into a quarterback controversy. Risking the future of the franchise. It will be interesting to see who becomes the starter, and when Dwayne Haskins makes his first start. 

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