We got our first look at the 2019 Washington Redskins Thursday night.
Well, not all of the Redskins. As has been the case in recent years, many of the starters did not play in the preseason opener.
The highly anticipated debut of Dwayne Haskins was on display. The best way to sum it up was that it was an uneven night; there was some good and some bad.
Haskins played the second and third quarter, finishing 8 of 14 for 117 yards and two interceptions. He was also sacked twice. Not the prettiest of stat lines, but there were times where Haskins showed flashes of why the Redskins selected him in the first round.
It started with his first play. A nice bootleg to the right in which he threw a nice pass for a 27-yard completion to Darvin Kidsy.
On the same drive, he tried to throw a wheel route to Byron Marshall that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. There were a few of those throws that seemed to be hesitant.
That’s the kind of night it was for Haskins, who also proved that he is not going to stand in the pocket if it starts to collapse around him. He rushed for 17 yards on the night.
His arm strength has never been a question and he showed that at times well, especially on the 14-play drive right after halftime that resulted in a field goal. He made some good decisions at the line of scrimmage and showed signs of being able to manage the game.
At the end of the night, many of the same issues we have seen throughout the first two weeks of camp showed up in the game. We should see plenty of him in the next three games as he continues to learn life in the NFL, but fans should be patient because it could take a while before he’s ready.
Before Haskins entered the game, Case Keenum got the start and finished 4-for-9 passing for 60 yards and a 46-yard touchdown strike to Robert Davis. A very good moment for Davis, who missed all of last year after ripping up his knee in training camp.
Josh Woodrum completed 6 of 11 passes for 44 yards and an interception.
There we some other bright spots on Thursday, especially on the defensive side of the ball, where the starters did not play as well.
Rookie seventh round pick, corner back Jimmy Moreland — or “The People’s Corner,” as he’s become known during training camp — had a pretty impressive debut.
He picked up right where left off in camp, making plays. He had two forced fumbles, one at the goal line, and broke up another pass in the end zone. He finds the ball. He finished with five tackles, three pass defenses and two forced fumbles.
Fifth round pick, linebacker Cole Holcomb had a solid debut. He made plays all over the field including keeping a Browns receiver out of the end zone at the goal line.
On the offense side, running back Chris Reynolds had 21 yards on nine carries.
The Redskins return to Richmond on Saturday for two more days of practice.
