Marcus Mariota, Teddy Bridgewater make sense for Redskins

Dwayne Haskins isn’t a stranger to a quarterback competition. He went through one at Ohio State to capture the starting job in 2018. As a rookie last year, Haskins battled veterans Case Keenum and Colt McCoy for playing time.

Now for a third straight season, Haskins will likely have to earn his way on to the field again.

Redskins coach Ron Rivera said last week that he wants a “very competitive competition” for Haskins before the 2020 season begins.

But there are different types of quarterbacks Washington could bring in. Drafting Tua Tagovailoa, for example, would indicate Haskins isn’t in Washington’s long-term plans; Why use the No. 2 pick on a quarterback otherwise? Signing a high-profile name like Philip Rivers, too, is sure to be costly and any type of large deal would put pressure on the franchise for that player to start.

That leaves the Redskins likely having to search for a balance, a starting-level quarterback who can compete — or outright win the job — but one who won’t break the bank.

This year, there are two free agents who fit that profile: Tennessee’s Marcus Mariota and New Orleans’ Teddy Bridgewater.

Mariota, drafted second overall in 2015, is an intriguing option, even if he disappointed with the Titans. Mariota, like Redskins quarterback Alex Smith early in his career, has seen a revolving door of offensive coordinators — he’s cycled through our in his first five seasons. Perhaps a change of scenery is what Mariota needs.

After all, Mariota saw up close in 2019 how a new team can rejuvenate a player’s career. The 26-year-old lost his job midway through the season to Ryan Tannehill, the former 2012 first-rounder who had six up-and-down years with the Miami Dolphins. Mariota initially beat out Tannehill in training camp, but the Titans turned to their backup when Mariota struggled. The switch worked and the Titans eventually advanced to the AFC Championship.

Mariota has a career 89.6 passer rating, better than any signal-caller on Washington’s roster. One concern regarding Mariota, however, is his durability. The Oregon product has yet to play a full 16 games in the NFL.

Bridgewater, meanwhile, is coming off the best year of his career — filling in for a five-game stretch when starter Drew Brees went down with a thumb injury. The 27-year-old not only kept the Saints’ playoff hopes alive, he thrived. The Saints went 5-0 as Bridgewater threw for nine touchdowns to two interceptions and completed 67.6% of his passes.

Bridgewater’s market value is one of the biggest questions of the offseason, with some skeptics contending teams need to see more before opening their checkbooks.

Count NFL agent J.I. Halsell among those who remain unconvinced.

Halsell pointed to Bridgewater’s injury history, noting the quarterback’s catastrophic leg injury in 2016. Bridgewater missed all of that year and most of 2017 after the injury.

“It may not be what Teddy Bridgewater wants, but again, he hasn’t played in a couple (of) years as a consistent starter,” Halsell said. “To me, it puts him closer as a Ryan Tannehill than it does to a team who will sign him to be their guy.”

When the Titans traded for Tannehill last offseason, they gave him a one-year, $8 million deal.

Bridgewater has ties to the Redskins’ coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Scott Turner was Bridgewater’s quarterbacks coach for three seasons when the two were with the Minnesota Vikings.

Neither Bridgewater nor Mariota is a perfect fit. But both would be able to push Haskins, or even win games for Washington if Rivera determines the 22-year-old isn’t a suitable starter.

“We’ve got an evaluation process that we’ve gone through, we know what we’d like to do, and we’re going to go forward with those decisions,” Rivera said. “You guys will see how it unfolds.”