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USA Today

Dwayne Haskins wasn't just tossed into the fire -- he was heaved into a volcano. The former 15th-overall pick joined the Washington Redskins at a time of peak discord at all levels of the organization, which included rampant reports of head coach Jay Gruden having been at odds with owner Dan Snyder over Haskins being named the starter to begin the season. The Redskins would stumble to an 0-3 start before Haskins saw any playing time, and Gruden was fired when the club continued their tailspin to 0-5. 

Interim coach Bill Callahan wasn't much more willing to give Haskins the nod, though. Callahan waffled between a floundering Case Keenum and backup Colt McCoy en route to a 1-8 record before finally tossing Haskins the keys to the already-crashed crop duster. Obviously, there wasn't much Haskins could do at that point other than try to learn on the fly for the future and, as he enters 2020 as the definitive No. 1 guy and under the tutelage of new head coach Ron Rivera, he's embracing the reality of what awaits him.

"I won't necessarily say it's just about football, it's with everything in life," Haskins said, via ESPN. "I'm going to deliver, it's never a question about that."

The 23-year-old showed flashes as the season neared its conclusion, and there's a lot of confidence from Rivera that Haskins is the man for the job. His final three games of 2019 saw him pass for 561 yards and five touchdowns to only one interception -- earning a 109.5 passer rating -- despite being sacked seven times. 

He's since ramped up his individual conditioning, including a dietary change that's seen him shed 10 pounds, and recent videos suggest he's a much more chiseled version of himself for Year 2. 

"I just wanted to be a man about my business and that's on and off the field," he said. "Not that I wasn't prior, but now turning 23, still being young and growing, whenever there were questions about immaturity or lack of whatever it was -- I was going to change that [perception] whether it was true or not. I needed to do that for me. I applied pressure with everything I did this offseason, with my body and how I studied, and it's making a big difference."

Haskins, who logged only 14 starts for Ohio State before being selected by the Redskins, suffered an uneven debut in Washington that likely would've gone better if the team had begun polishing him to be QB1 right out of the gate -- the level of difficulty increased by the aforementioned coaching decisions and (?) rift with the front office. 

In comes Rivera to replace Gruden and longtime general manager Bruce Allen was sent packing as a part of the housecleaning by Snyder, setting Haskins up for a full offseason of preparation for what's to come going forward. That is, namely, the expectation he'll step up and be what they believe he can be.

"I want to be the face of the franchise," Haskins said. "I'm working to do that."