These Dwayne Haskins Quotes on Leadership Show Just How Far He’s Come in One Year

Dwayne Haskins' Tuesday Zoom call with the media almost felt like a funnel, because so many questions ended up leading to the same kind of answer.

Now, while that can be boring at times and come across as rehearsed in others, in the case of Haskins, it showed growth.

One year after being the third QB in training camp and looking quite out of place in his early appearances before showing serious improvement late in the schedule, Haskins is fixated on becoming the guy for the Washington Football Team.

Just in case you weren't aware of that yet, check out some of these quotes he delivered to reporters. The 23-year-old clearly has one goal in mind for 2020.

"I just want to be a great leader. If I can try to be a captain this year, that's something I look forward to trying to achieve."
"I just feel you have to have a certain presence and confidence when commanding an offense, when commanding a huddle."
"I think mostly, it's just a mentality. .... Just trying to master that, the same edge that a Tom Brady or a Drew Brees has when he steps in the building."

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TALK PODCAST

Those words futher signal how Haskins has changed over the course of one offseason.

The rookie who moped after disappointing outings in New York and Minnesota is gone, replaced by a far more self-aware and mature second-year pro. That's the person Morgan Moses praised last week for "turning himself around," as well as the person Ron Rivera points to as having done everything he asked him to do the past few months.

Of course, Haskins' stronger mental state alone won't be enough to solidify his place in the league or place him in the upper echelon of QBs. No. 7 is going to need to get a lot out of a really unproven supporting cast and adjust to yet another system as well if he wants to be "a bright spot in DC" for a long time, as he put it.

But the fact that he is so often emphasizing the importance of asserting himself is a key step on its own, and if he's doing that, fans can feel better about him handling everything else the franchise will ask of him.

"Our offense needs a guy that's going to take ownership and lead, so why not be me?" Haskins said near the end of his Tuesday availability.

That's the attitude every star must possess in order to thrive, and it's one that Haskins has picked up really quickly. If Year 2 is to play out better than Year 1 for him, that will be a major reason why.

MORE WASHINGTON FOOTBALL NEWS