With an early two-score deficit and the offense sputtering, the Redskins and coach Jay Gruden turned to rookie first-round pick Dwayne Haskins.
The 2019 NFL Draft's No. 15 pick made his debut under center for Washington with 6:35 to play in the second quarter of Sunday's 24-3 loss to the Giants.
Case Keenum, who had started all four weeks for the Redskins, was benched in favor of Haskins in the first half after Washington's first drive ended with an interception and the next three with punts.
The move paid off quickly with a score for Washington as Haskins' first NFL drive ended with a Dustin Hopkins field goal to cut the score to 14-3.
The rest of the rookie's afternoon was not as bountiful and closer to dreadful.
Haskins finished 9-of-17 for 197 yards and three interceptions in his debut. All three picks came in the last 17 minutes of play with Washington down by three scores.
As the 0-4 Redskins move forward, Gruden declined to name Haskins the starter for the weeks to come, but made a point that the rookie out of Ohio State wouldn't garner the starting nod due to his draft status.
"You're not handed the keys because of where you're drafted," Gruden said via ESPN. "You have to earn the right."
Heading into Sunday, Keenum really hadn't played all that badly, having completed 86-of-124 passes (69.4 percent) for 933 yards and seven touchdowns. However, he turned the ball over five times in a Monday night loss to the Bears and on Sunday against the Giants was 6-of-11 for 37 yards, an interception and a 23.7 passer rating.
Members of the media and fans alike began to clamor for Haskins, particularly this past week. The fact that the Redskins were playing against the Giants and their rookie quarterback Daniel Jones did nothing to stymie the talk.
Whether this is a permanent change at quarterback obviously remains to be seen, but for now, it appears this Sunday could be the start of a new era for the Redskins under center going forward.
