Report: Haskins' poor study and practice habits led to benching originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Washington Football Team quarterback Dwayne Haskins was benched on Wednesday in part due to poor practice and study habits, a source familiar with the situation told Les Carpenter of the Washington Post.
Haskins' lack of preparation during the week was evident on Sundays, as Haskins overthrew multiple pass-catchers and missed chances to hit open receivers, the source told Carpenter.
One teammate additionally called Haskins out, according to the source, saying then-third-string quarterback Alex Smith would arrive to the team facility earlier than Haskins and prepare better for games, even though Smith knew he was going to be inactive come game day.
Head coach Ron Rivera announced on Wednesday that not only would Haskins move to the bench, but he was demoted to third-string. Third-year pro Kyle Allen will be the starter, with Smith serving as the primary backup.
Rivera cited Allen's familiarity with the offensive system -- the QB spent the past two years under Rivera and offensive coordinator Scott Turner in Carolina -- and the team's lousy division as two of the main reasons for the switch.
"I think our best chance to win is putting the ball in somebody else's hands," Rivera said Wednesday. "I think our best chance to have things done in our offense is in somebody else's hands. That's what I'm doing. I'm doing that based on what I've seen. I just think right now, this is the decision I'm making."
Rivera is rolling with Allen for now. Smith is next in line. This season was supposed to be a developmental one for Haskins, but it's hard to imagine him returning to the field any time soon.
