When the Washington Redskins elected to trade for Kyle Allen instead of bringing in a more proven veteran, it signaled the starting quarterback job was Dwayne Haskins' to lose.
Allen, however, isn't going quietly without a fight.
"I think the expectation is to come in and compete for the job," he said in a Tuesday conference call, via the Richmond Times-Dispatch. "I think that's an awesome opportunity."
One thing working in Allen's favor is his familiarity with new Redskins coach Ron Rivera and offensive coordinator Scott Turner. With NFL offices shut down due to COVID-19 lockdowns, Allen believes his knowledge of the system could give him an edge.
"I think the continuity with the system is huge for me, and I think it's going to be big for the team too," he said. "If we don't have a lot of OTAs or don't have OTAs at all, it gives at least someone on the team a chance with experience in the system to be able to teach it to the other guys and the offense, and relay what the coaches are saying, and just kind of teach the offense to everyone and teach the language."
In an ideal world, Haskins makes strides early in the season, overcomes a rocky rookie campaign in which he took 29 sacks in nine games with seven TDs and seven INTs, and becomes the franchise signal-caller. That world is far from certain at this point, however. If Haskins struggles mightily, Allen could get the call.
In 12 starts for the Carolina Panthers last season, Allen showed promise early replacing an injured Cam Newton before the bottom fell out and he struggled down the stretch reading defenses and looked overwhelmed. Allen projects as a backup capable of holding the fort for brief spurts if needed.
If nothing else, he can help get Haskins up to speed on an offense he knows well. The mindset of the 24-year-old, however, is to battle.
"We've been doing it our whole lives," Allen said of competing for playing time. "We've been doing it since we were in high school, trying to compete against different guys. At the same time, you get to meet a lot of really cool people in the process. Cam and Will [Grier] in Carolina, we all came out with great relationships."
