Redskins' Gruden impressed with Haskins, but stresses open QB competition

Dwayne Haskins may have been the Washington Redskins' first pick in last month's draft, but he won't be guaranteed the team's starting quarterback job in 2019.

Speaking to reporters following Saturday's rookie minicamp, head coach Jay Gruden stressed his lead passer will be driven by an open competition.

"Yeah, for sure. We have to have that," Gruden said, according to Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams. "I mean Case (Keenum) coming off of the most experience is great. Colt (McCoy) has the most experience with this terminology in this system, and Dwayne was the 15th pick in the draft. We'll see what happens."

Despite participating in just two minicamp practices with his new club, the rookie quarterback has left a strong impression on his head coach.

"We're at the very bare minimum right now but very impressed by his skill set, for sure," Gruden said, according to NFL.com's Grant Gordon. "(Haskins) can really spin it. He's just a big, solid, fundamentally sound guy. He's just a big presence in there and the ball just jumps off his hand. He also has the ability to speed it up and he has great touch, as well, for some of the short balls."

Haskins, for his part, understands the expectations placed on him but is intent on putting his team and coaching staff first.

"I'll be ready for whatever the coaches want for me, whether that's starting right away or next year or during the season," Haskins said. "I'm just going to prepare like I'm the starter, and that's with me in the weight room, me in the meeting rooms, me with the younger guys, me with the older guys. Every opportunity for me is an opportunity for me to showcase that I'm the guy."