Washington Football Team releases former first round pick Dwayne Haskins

The Washington Football Team on Monday announced it has released quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. The former Ohio State Buckeye was taken with the 15th overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft.

"This afternoon I met with Dwayne and informed him that we would be releasing him, head coach Ron Rivera said in a statement. "I told him that I believe it benefits both parties that we go our separate ways. We want to thank Dwayne for his contributions these last two seasons and wish him well moving forward."

The move comes one day after Haskins was benched mid-game in favor of third string quarterback Taylor Heinicke and just hours after it was announced Heinicke was being bumped up to second string. Rivera said during a press conference on Monday that Heinicke will take over quarterbacking duties next week if starter Alex smith is still unable to play due to an injury