Montae Nicholson

Redskins will have rough 2020 season but potential is there, NFL preview magazines say

Dwayne Haskins

Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins is hoping to make a good impression with his new coaching staff as he enters his second season. Photo by Brian Murphy.

After a toxic 2019 season that saw a fan revolt unlike any in recent memory, the Washington Redskins underwent a culture change by firing team president Bruce Allen and hiring former Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera.

Rivera brought over a lot of his Carolina staff to instill that culture. That also includes former players like linebacker Thomas Davis Sr. and quarterback Kyle Allen.

Second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins showed progress at the end of what started out as a rough rookie campaign. This will be an important season to impress the new coaching staff and show off his true potential.

The Redskins rid themselves of several big names like star left tackle Trent Williams, who held out all of 2019 and was traded to the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers and old friend Kyle Shanahan. The team also traded cornerback Quinton Dunbar to the Seattle Seahawks and released cornerback Josh Norman and tight end Jordan Reed. Norman signed with the Buffalo Bills while Reed is still a free agent after missing the 2019 season following a concussion suffered in the preseason. Reed’s release and Vernon Davis’s retirement left the team’s tight end room bereft of talent.

Washington showed interest in tight end Austin Hooper but didn’t compete with the Cleveland Browns’s four-year, $44 million deal. The team also swung and missed on wide receiver Amari Cooper after reportedly offering more money than the Dallas Cowboys, where the star wideout ultimately re-signed for $100 million over five years.

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Highlight videos of the Redskins’ 2017 draft class

Round 1 – 17th Overall – Jonathan Allen – DE – Alabama (more…)