The plights of Dwayne Haskins and Josh Rosen serve as cautionary tales for NFL teams that proceed without a clear exchange of vows between leaders.
The traditional wedding vow comes with a stair-stepped list of future considerations for good reason. The anticipation of the big day, the emotions of the ceremony, the thrill of being surrounded by those closest to you—they’re all so overwhelming that it can be all too easy to smile and nod through any checklist.
“Sure.”
“Sounds good.”
“Whatever you say.”
Yet if you’ve been to a traditional wedding, you’ll recognize the moment where a serious list suddenly appears and each party involved in the actual wedding is asked to stop and consider, for a moment, what exactly comprises this new commitment. Wedding is, by definition, a covenant. It comes with considerable weight and gravity and should not be taken lightly.
Therefore, inserted into the very center of all pomp and circumstance, those-to-be-wedded are asked to affirm their commitment to the other in specific scenarios:
- For better, for worse
- For richer, for poorer
- In sickness and in health
- To love and to cherish, till death do us part
Essentially in that moment, the officiant is tasked with the impossible: to get the groom or bride to set aside their nerves and excitement to dwell, for a short second, upon a series of positive and negative scenarios. Are you certain you want to commit to this person if there’s no resources in it for you? Are you sure you’re ready to take care of them if they’re terminally ill? What if the arguments seem so circular because you’ve had them so often?
All too often those moments are glossed over in the same way that everything else flies by in a blur on a person’s wedding day, but at least the attempt was made by someone to have both parties think clearly about the promise they are making.
Dwayne Haskins likely wishes the Washington Redskins employed such an officiant.
On The Fence Already?
One year after Washington selected Dwayne Haskins with their first-round selection, the franchise seems to be over him already.
It doesn’t help that the leaders in charge when Haskins was taken have been ousted. Yet even last year there was a sense that the team wasn’t all that enthused about the pro potential of their investment.
After Jay Gruden was fired following Week 5, interim head coach Bill Callahan flirted with whether or not Haskins would start from week to week. Instead of a clear plan to either sit Haskins for the sake of learning or rolling out a way for him to grow as a starter, the franchise would cast him out and then reel him in with no real strategy to the approach.
To be fair, Haskins did look like a fish out of water in his first few games. He completed 9 of 17 passes and threw 3 interceptions in his first NFL game against the lowly New York Giants. He didn’t throw a single touchdown in five of his first six appearances/starts. That said, he did finish the season very well in late divisional games and, despite a 2-5 record, he had a 109.5 passer rating in the final three games of the season.
This offseason, Ron Rivera seems likely to go with Haskins as his starting quarterback. However the team also just traded for Kyle Allen, who is familiar with Rivera already, to serve as a competent backup and someone who can push Haskins in the preseason. With Alex Smith also on the roster, those are contestants who could conceivably push Haskins aside. (Remember, Rivera and company have no investment here.)
What’s even more telling is that the Redskins have been up front about the fact that they were bringing in the draft’s biggest prospects at the position in Joe Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa. Given their position at No. 2 overall in the draft, they could be drumming up interest in a trade in hopes someone will pay through the nose for a chance to draft one of the Big Two. Or they could also be angling for a franchise quarterback of their own—if they don’t believe in Haskins.
“Everything is an option,” said Rivera recently. “We’re not closing the door on anything.”
Rosen, Unchosen
If this sounds familiar, it’s because the tale is a fairly common one in the world of first round quarterbacks.
Even last year’s draft featured a swap of a former first round quarterback from the previous season, as the Arizona Cardinals traded Josh Rosen to the Miami Dolphins. After a single season, the Cards had soured on head coach Steve Wilks in the desert and sent him packing. Kliff Kingsbury was the new king and soured on the former No. 3 overall selection for whatever reason. From there, Miami called with a second round pick and more and a trade was made.
Unfortunately for Rosen, he looked even worst in South Florida than he did in Arizona and the Fins undoubtedly regret paying even what they did. Rosen threw 1 touchdown and 5 interceptions in three starts for the Dolphins, while Miami showed a much greater spark with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center. Even then, the franchise is rumored to be hitting the reset button completely this spring with Tagovailoa as the presumed draft target when all is said and done.
Let’s be very clear: not every first round quarterback is going to play like a first-round quarterback. Some will be busts. It’s the nature of the NFL Draft and why it’s so enticing to watch. It’s filled with mystery and intrigue, an inexact science that allows each of us to make our own guesses and participate right along with our favorite team.
However, some of these quarterback situations—maybe even Haskins and Rosen—could benefit from an officiant. It seems like many teams fail to understand the vows they need to make before deciding to invest so heavily in a rookie QB.
Can I Buy A Vow?
NFL franchises need only look at the most successful quarterbacks in today’s game to see ideal examples of the vows at work. Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs won the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award in 2018, and Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens won it in 2019. Both quarterbacks entered the NFL with loads of talent along with a series of questions and concerns. Both are now laughing at every team who overlooked them.
Yes, Mahomes and Jackson are supremely gifted athletes with jaw-dropping instincts and enviable skill sets. However, the Chiefs and Ravens both had complex systems in place that allowed them to succeed at such a high level so early. Vows were exchanged between the front office and coaching staff. For better or worse. In sickness and in health. They were committed.
In K.C., everyone involved in the organization from the team’s owner, Clark Hunt, to the assistant coaches knew the game plan. Mahomes would sit for a full year. Alex Smith would remain the starter. The torch would be passed slowly, no matter what, and the team would be all the better for it. Smith, to his credit, was a tremendous leader and example as the incumbent veteran, but Mahomes was also humble and patient. The franchise bought Mahomes the space needed to succeed as a starter before making him a starter.
In Baltimore, the entire offense was reworked to accommodate Jackson’s considerable talents as a dual threat. From playcalling to roster makeup, the entire franchise had to realign itself to one with Jackson as the quarterback. Once again, vows were exchanged and everyone was on the same page. Suddenly the Ravens were the single hottest team in the league in ’19, largely thanks to a sensational young quarterback.
These things likely don’t happen, at least this quickly, if Mahomes or Jackson had played for franchises like Washington or Arizona.
Moving forward
For any team who believes they are ready to make their move for a franchise quarterback this offseason, they need to first do some internal reflection to make sure they’re ready to exchange vows and truly commit to the other. Is the coaching staff prepared to weather the rocky ride that comes with starting a young quarterback? Are personnel decisions being made in light of having that specific quarterback commanding the offense? How many truly talented quarterbacks are ruined by the reckless approaches of NFL teams?
For Haskins’ sake, at this early stage of his career, let’s hope that a savvy, veteran coach like Rivera gives him a real chance to ease into the role of franchise quarterback. It might feel like more sickness than health, poorer than better, at least for a while. But a team has a much better chance of unlocking franchise-changing potential if they enter into a covenant with that prospect—as long as they both shall live (in the NFL).