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NFC East: Until Dwayne Haskins is ready, it’s Case Keenum at QB for the Redskins

Washington, which opens at the Eagles in Week 1, is feeling good about its secondary, but the offense has more questions than answers.

Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins will begin the season as a backup to Case Keenum.
Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins will begin the season as a backup to Case Keenum.Read moreMike Stewart (custom credit) / AP

A quick look at the Washington Redskins.

Last year: 7-9. Started 5-2, but quarterback injuries torpedoed the season.

2018 vs. Eagles: Lost both meetings, including Week 17, when they barely showed up.

2019 vs. Eagles: Week 1 in Philadelphia, Week 15 at home.

» READ MORE: Headlines, roster, depth chart

He’s here: QB Case Keenum, QB Dwayne Haskins, S Landon Collins, T Donald Penn, T Ereck Flowers, CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

He’s gone: WR Jamison Crowder, LB Zach Brown, LB Preston Smith, S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

NFL Network top 100: T Trent Williams (81st).

This and that

Head coach Jay Gruden tabbed Case Keenum as the opening-day quarterback, which really just starts the clock on when first-round pick Dwayne Haskins will eventually take over. The guess here is Week 6 at Miami.

“I always draw on past experiences,” said Keenum, an eight-year veteran who has plenty to choose from. “That’s what makes us who we are. We learn from those things. I’ve learned from what I’ve done well in the past and I learned a lot more from what I’ve not done well.”

The Redskins are Keenum’s sixth team in the last six years, and his first assignment is a trip to Philadelphia. Keenum’s only career game against the Eagles was the 2017 NFC championship game, when his Vikings were rolled at the Linc.


    Star cornerback Josh Norman is in a much better mental state, especially now that safety Landon Collins is in the building.

    “We got guys in here that know how to play the game,” Norman told the Washington Post. “We got guys who are not so ... boisterous. You know what I’m saying? They let guys do their thing.”

    The Post figured one of those guys he was talking about is former teammate D.J. Swearinger, a safety who was cut before last season’s finale in part for being critical of coaches and other Redskins players.

    “I am finally starting to feel [at] home here,” Norman said.

    2018 stats
    Points per game
    No.
    17.6
    NFL rank
    29th
    2018 stats
    Opp. points per game
    No.
    22.4
    NFL rank
    15th
    2018 stats
    Yards per game
    No.
    299.7
    NFL rank
    28th
    2018 stats
    Opp. yards per game
    No.
    353.4
    NFL rank
    17th
    2018 stats
    Passing yards per game
    No.
    188.8
    NFL rank
    28th
    2018 stats
    Opp. passing yards per game
    No.
    237.1
    NFL rank
    15th
    2018 stats
    Rushing yards per game
    No.
    110.9
    NFL rank
    18th
    2018 stats
    Opp. rushing yards per game
    No.
    116.3
    NFL rank
    18th
    2018 stats
    Turnovers committed
    No.
    19
    NFL rank
    11th
    2018 stats
    Turnovers forced
    No.
    26
    NFL rank
    10th

    The big story in training camp was tackle Trent Williams’ holdout.

    Williams is the Redskins’ best player, but he does not have a contract beyond this season. He’s also reportedly fuming over the medical staff’s mishandling of a growth on his head that ended up needing to be removed.


    Good to see running back Derrius Guice back and seemingly at full speed after his rookie year ended so suddenly last year. Guice, a second-round pick in 2018, ripped up his knee in last year’s preseason opener.

    He’ll share the backfield work with Adrian Peterson, the 34-year-old freak of nature who made unwanted headlines of his own this offseason. Peterson was sued by creditors seeking loan repayments.


    New offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell was promoted from quarterbacks coach partly to keep other teams from poaching him from the Redskins.

    O’Connell was drafted in 2008 by the Patriots and played just two career games. He has quickly climbed the coaching ladder and, at 34, is frequently compared to another former Redskins offensive coordinator.

    "Everyone is looking for the next Sean McVay,” ESPN’s Rex Ryan told the Washington Post. “Well, this is the next Sean McVay, just a foot taller.”

    Bottom line

    The bookies have the Redskins over/under win total at 6 on merit. They’ve been 7-9 the last two seasons and it’s fair to wonder how much time Gruden has left. It’s been 13 years since Washington last won a playoff game. That figures to grow to 14 for this season, but maybe at least Haskins gives fans reasons for optimism.

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