Dwayne Haskins showing ‘fire,’ improvement as Redskins wrap up OTAs

ASHBURN — When pointed out that Jimmy Moreland intercepted him five different times this offseason, Dwayne Haskins wanted to correct the record. The interceptions, he said, weren’t the result of throwing directly to the rookie cornerback.

Rather, Haskins said the turnovers were more of a matter of not being on the same page with his receiver. For instance, his first interception occurred when Moreland ripped a screen pass from the hands of Darvin Kidsy.

Nonetheless, Haskins wasn’t satisfied with the results.

“It [ticks] me off because it’s an interception and I didn’t throw it to him,” Haskins said of Moreland.

With only one voluntary practice left before training camp, Haskins has become more comfortable as he adjusts to the NFL. But Haskins’ development remains a work in progress — which is partially why coach Jay Gruden said last week it would be “foolish” to determine a starting quarterback before training camp.

Gruden wants to see Washington’s quarterbacks improve, and for Haskins, that means getting in sync with his wide receivers, calling plays correctly and picking up the rest of the playbook.

After OTAs conclude Wednesday, the Redskins will have a six-week break before they return for training camp in Richmond. Haskins, though, plans to stay in Ashburn to continue to work.

“There’s no offseason,” Haskins said with a laugh.

Haskins said he’s “nowhere close” to where he feels natural with the Redskins’ system. The 22-year-old noted there are moments when offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell uses specific terms in meetings and the quarterback finds himself having to ask what his coach means.

Beyond play-calling terminology, Haskins said the coverages he faces in the NFL are different from what they were at Ohio State. The Redskins use more “exotic” defenses than what Haskins in college, where the Buckeyes primarily faced man and quarter concepts.

Haskins doesn’t appear frustrated through any of this. He uses words like “fun” to describe his growth and during practice, the first-rounder will occasionally trash talk the defense. Last week, Haskins went up to cornerback Josh Norman shortly after he was picked off to own up to mistake — and issue his own challenge. Haskins said he would get Norman the next time, the cornerback said.

“He’s got some fire in him,” Norman said.

The Redskins haven’t begun to think about who’s ahead in their quarterback competition, Gruden said. Veteran Case Keenum is also in the process of learning Gruden’s system for the first time, comparing it to learning a different language entirely.

Gruden said it’s “very important” for Haskins to take advantage of the break before camp. He hopes calling plays in the huddle will be more natural to Haskins.

“There is a lot to learn for the kid, but we want to get it all out there for him so he has an understanding of what it is going to be like come training camp,” Gruden said. “A long way to go, but I like where he is at.”

Haskins will take a short break later this month to go to Paris for a promotional event with Jordan Brand. But when he returns, Haskins plans to study film and link up with the receivers also in the area.

Haskins said he realizes Washington’s quarterback competition is a marathon, later adding he’s not worried about starting Week 1.

“I just want to be ready to play Week 1, whether that’s this year or next year or whenever my time comes for me to play,” Haskins said. “I just wanna make sure that when I do play, I don’t wanna look back. That’s just my biggest mindset on that.”