Washington may have tanked Haskins’ trade value in handling of QBs originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Entering the 2020 season, the thought of Washington trading quarterback Dwayne Haskins didn’t really exist. By the quarter mark of the campaign, it arrived.
After being benched, and moved to No. 3 on the depth chart, it’s clear that Haskins is not in the team’s immediate plans at the position. That makes trading him a reasonable possibility.
Yet, while finding a suitor that needs Haskins is important, the bigger part of the battle for Washington is making sure they get the right compensation in return. NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay knows the right haul is out there somewhere, but he doesn’t see it coming to fruition for Washington.
“Whatever the right haul is, I don’t think that will become available,” Finlay said. “Because to give up on a first round pick, you should get a lot back. I don’t think Washington will be able to get a lot back.”
As Finlay explains, Haskins’ early struggles don’t take away the fact that the quarterback is young and a recent first round selection. Not getting the fair value back in return could set the franchise back even further.
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Why does the right haul not seem realistic in a Haskins trade? Former Washington player and current NBC Sports Washington analyst Brian Mitchell believe it goes beyond Haskins’ play and revolves around the reputation the franchise has given him.
For a team that is going to take a waiver on a player that hasn’t performed at a high level, the reason for the interest typically stems from potential. They believe that the raw talent is there and that if he is given the tools to thrive, success will follow.
Mitchell feels that Washington has hurt Haskins’ perceived value by benching and lowering him on the depth chart. They’ve shown a lack of confidence in him, which won’t have other teams believing he is worth much.
“When you sit here, if you want to get something from someone, you don’t let them go. You don’t talk them down and make it look as if there’s nothing there if you want to let them go,” Mitchell said. “You want to make sure people think there is something better.
“People will always give you more for potential than what they would give you for somebody that you talked down,” Mitchell said.
Both Finlay and Mitchell believe shopping Haskins is something worth exploring, given the events that have transpired in the last week. Yet, trading away the young passer will only truly be worth it should equal compensation come in return.
Based on Haskins’ downward trend in 2020, that’s a scenario that doesn’t seem likely.
“That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t trade him. I think it’s pretty clear that this situation has already melted down. I don’t know that there’s a way to build back things between the coaching staff and the player,” Finlay said. “But I don’t know that right haul is coming.”