Washington Nearly Released Dwayne Haskins This Week, Now They're Starting Him

After photos emerged of Dwayne Haskins partying in a strip club without a mask on earlier this week, Washington considered releasing him, according to Peter Schrager.

Now, just six days later, Haskins is starting at quarterback as Washington continues to fight for its playoff life.

Funny how quickly things change isn't it?

Washington starting quarterback Alex Smith is still battling a calf injury, which will keep him out of his second straight game. Haskins started against the Seahawks last week and passed for 295 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Washington lost 20-15 but maintained a one-game lead in the NFC East. They could clinch the division this week with a win over the Panthers coupled with a loss by the Giants.

The day after losing to Seattle, photos of Haskins with strippers emerged and Haskins offered a public apology. He was stripped of his team captaincy and fined $40,000. He was also a healthy scratch earlier this year and Washington coach Ron Rivera challenged him to mature in the presason. At this point, his time in Washington appears numbered.

Despite all of that, Washington kept Haskins around. The most likely reason is that they knew Smith was questionable to play with his injury and Haskins offered them the best chance to succeed if he couldn't suit up. Now Smith can't and Haskins will get another chance to make a better impression on the field than he has off it.

It's crazy how storylines like this unfold weekly in the NFL, but at least it makes for interesting reality TV.