Dwayne Haskins Benched and His Time in Washington Is Almost Up

Earlier on Sunday we learned the Washington Football Team nearly released quarterback Dwayne Haskins this week after photos emerged of him partying maskless in violation of the NFL's COVID-19 protocols. Washington started him on Sunday but the writing is on the wall, and he's essentially done with the franchise. Things got worse during the team's critical Week 16 matchup with the Carolina Panthers, as Haskins was benched in favor of Taylor Heinicke.

Haskins was under center against the Panthers as Washington attempted to clinch the NFC East title. He was horrible. After three-plus quarters he was shown the bench and Heinicke, a 27-year-old journeyman who hadn't thrown a pass since 2018, took snaps in his place.

It got ugly, as Haskins completed 14 of 28 passes for 154 yards, with no touchdowns, two interceptions and lost a fumble. Those three turnovers helped Carolina take a 20-6 lead before head coach Ron Rivera had seen enough.

Haskins has been an incredible disappointment since Washington selected him with the 15th pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He was expected to lead the franchise into the future after an excellent career at Ohio State. He hasn't just been a bust, he's also been a problem.

In his two seasons with the franchise, Haskins has been awful. As a rookie in 2019 he played in nine games and completed 58.6 percent of his passes for 1,365 yards with seven touchdowns, seven interceptions and a passer rating of 76.1. In seven 2020 games, he has completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 1,439 yards with five touchdowns, seven interceptions and a passer rating of 73.0.

It would be one thing if Haskins was struggling but acting properly and leading from the front. Instead he's been stripped of his captaincy, has violated COVID-19 protocols twice and looked horrible on the field to boot. Rivera and company don't need that kind of guy around.

While Washington will likely attempt to trade Haskins in the offseason, it's hard to see anyone giving up anything of value for him. Expect to see him released at some point in the next few months.

UPDATE: Haskins left the stadium after telling Washington's public relations team he wasn't talking to the media. That's not a good look: