The Washington Redskins will start Case Keenum at quarterback in Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins, interim coach Bill Callahan announced Friday.
Callahan said that rookie Dwayne Haskins will serve as the backup as the visiting Redskins (0-5) vie for their first win of the season on Sunday in Miami against the 0-4 Dolphins. Week 5 starter Colt McCoy likely will be inactive.
Callahan told reporters on Friday that he feels Keenum gives Washington its best chance to win.
“There’s so many reasons,” Callahan said of starting Keenum. “He’s well-prepared first off. He has the makeup of a solid starter. He prepares like no quarterback I’ve seen or comparable to the quarterbacks I’ve seen. Just his demeanor on the field and around the building. ‘First one in, last one out’ type of guy.
“He’s always watching film. He’s always inquisitive, always curious, asking questions about the game plan. He wants to do well so he’s really focused hard on his preparation going into this weekend so I just love everything about what he’s done. How he’s handled his adversity with his injury, how he’s come back and how he’s prepared himself for this (coming) game.”
Keenum, 31, started the first four games of the season for Washington, completing 92 of 135 passes for 970 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions.
With Keenum nursing a sprained right foot, McCoy got the nod in last Sunday’s 33-7 loss to the New England Patriots. It was McCoy’s first game since suffering a broken leg late in the 2018 season.
McCoy completed 18 of 27 passes for 119 yards with one interception in what proved to be Jay Gruden’s final game as the team’s coach. Gruden was fired on Monday morning.
Haskins, who was selected with the 15th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, threw three interceptions in relief of Keenum in Washington’s 24-3 loss to the New York Giants on Sept. 29. He completed 9 of 17 passes for 107 yards.
Callahan offered the following when asked why the team selected Haskins as the backup for Sunday’s game:
“I think for obvious reasons like I talked about Dwayne being the future of this franchise so I think it’s always invaluable that a quarterback is ready and prepared,” he said. “It heightens his awareness. We have a package of plays for him going into this game. That’s just allowed us to focus on the ability to bring him along and groom him futuristically.”
The Redskins are 0-5 for the first time since 2001.