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Gruden Reveals Thoughts On WFT Ex Haskins

Coach Jay Gruden Reveals His Thoughts On Washington Football Team Ex QB Dwayne Haskins - And They Are Not As Politically Correct As They Seem

As the Washington Football Team continues to trip its way through one of the league’s most confusing quarterback situations of the season, the person who gets asked about it more often than anyone is sitting in Jacksonville.

OK, that’s a slight exaggeration. Washington coach Ron Rivera gets asked about his quarterback room more than anyone. But Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Jay Gruden isn’t far behind. 

“He has one of two ways to go,'' said Gruden, the former WFT head coach when Haskins was selected (though not by Gruden or any of Washington's other football people). "He can either learn from this and rebound and take advantage of the next opportunity and work his tail off or not. ... The next opportunity he gets, I’m sure he’ll be ready to go.”

In Washington, the view might be that Gruden's comments are nothing but political correctness. On Monday, Washington released 2019 first-rounder Haskins, a player chosen by WFT owner Dan Snyder against the wishes of then-head coach Gruden.

READ MORE: Vomit & 3 Better Choices: Inside The Washington Football Team Drafting Of Haskins

“He’s a good quarterback,'' Gruden said. "He’s a first-round draft pick and unfortunately it hasn’t worked out the way anybody really thought, including myself. I never thought he’d be released this early in his career.”

Certainly not. But his inconsistency and apparent disregard for protocols as a leader that ultimately made the decision for Rivera.

Haskins went unclaimed via waivers and now becomes a free agent. Gruden agrees with our view (see below) that the young QB will get a second chance.

READ MORE: The 3 Reasons Washington Football Team Ex Haskins Will Get A Second Chance

“Yeah,'' Gruden said. "Big quarterbacks that can rip it are hard to find. I think there’s a lot of things he needs to work on obviously as all young quarterbacks do … if he continues to work in the offseason and work on his mental and physical approach to the game diligently like pro quarterbacks are supposed to do, then sure, he can do it.”

That is obviously an insinuation from Gruden that Dwayne Haskins failed to do that during Gruden's time in Washington ... and during Rivera's time as well.

Read more from John Shipley on the Jaguars at SI here.