Redskins to ride with QB Haskins rest of way
Broncos to give rookie Lock a look in practices
ASHBURN, Va. — Dwayne Haskins’ time has finally come.
The Washington Redskins on Monday named Haskins their starting quarterback for the rest of the season. The 15th overall draft pick takes over with Washington 1-8 and the New York Jets up next Sunday.
“We’ve got a lot of confidence in Dwayne,” interim coach Bill Callahan said in announcing the much-expected move. “He’s worked hard, he’s smart, he studies, he prepares, so this will be a great opportunity for him going forward.”
Haskins is 27 of 44 for 284 yards with no touchdowns and four interceptions in three appearances — two in relief and a start Nov. 3 at Buffalo. The Jets game will be his second NFL start.
“It helps to have a full week of preparation where you’re the starter,” second-year receiver Trey Quinn said. “I’m looking forward to seeing him grow because he’s a talent. He’s definitely a talent, so sky’s the limit right now for him. It’s just up to him to take the extra time and learn on his own.”
Previous coach Jay Gruden and Callahan had been reluctant to hand the reins over to Haskins because he looked much more like a long-term project than a ready-made professional quarterback. Veteran Case Keenum started seven of the first eight games and longtime backup Colt McCoy the other.
But Haskins showed enough in his audition against the Bills to earn the full-time role. Callahan liked Haskins’ consistency and decisiveness in completing 15 of 22 passes with a limited playbook.
BRONCOS: Denver is bringing rookie quarterback Drew Lock back to practice Tuesday to see if he’s going to be able to play this season.
The second-round draft pick from Missouri went on IR to start the season after spraining his right thumb in an Aug. 19 preseason game against San Francisco.
His return will start a 21-day clock in which the Broncos (3-6) must decide whether to put him on the active roster or send him back to IR, ending his season and delaying his evaluation until 2020.
It’s that three-week window that prevented coach Vic Fangio from bringing Lock off IR two weeks ago when Joe Flacco (neck) went on IR and 27-year-old waiverwire claim Brandon Allen led Denver past Cleveland 24-19 in his first NFL start.
Fangio didn’t want the 21-day clock ticking on Lock during the Broncos’ Week 10 bye, so he waited until this week to bring him back.
EAGLES: Jordan Matthews was so excited to return to the team again that he picked up his young son and ran around the house.
“I was like a kid in a candy store,” Matthews said Monday. “It was like getting drafted all over again. I was just so happy. I picked up my son, ran around the house like he was Simba. It was a good feeling. This is where I wanted to be.”
The Eagles reached out to Matthews after DeSean Jackson was placed on injured reserve last week and officially signed the 27-year-old wide receiver Monday. It’s his third stint with the team that selected him in the second round of the 2014 draft.
Matthews was traded to Buffalo before the 2017 season in a deal that brought cornerback Ronald Darby to Philadelphia. Matthews missed the team’s Super Bowl run but returned last September. Matthews had 20 catches for 300 yards and two touchdowns last season and caught a 37-yard TD pass in the playoff loss at New Orleans.
He averaged 75 receptions and 891 yards receiving in his first three seasons with the Eagles and had 19 TD catches.
“We can just pull up his highlights. The guy has made a lot of plays for the Eagles over the years,” offensive coordinator Mike Groh said.
JETS: Chris Herndon’s tough second season with New York took another frustrating turn.
The tight end will be sidelined indefinitely with a broken rib suffered Sunday in the Jets’ 34-27 win over the Giants. The injury came in Herndon’s season debut, during which he caught one pass for 7 yards.
“It’s one of those first or second (upper) ribs,” coach Adam Gase said Monday. “That’s in a place where it could be an extended period of time. If something happened, it could hurt him worse than what he already is.”