Dwayne Haskins wasn’t worried about Tua Tagovailoa

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Even though no one really believed it, there was some chatter before the draft linking Washington and Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Part of that was fueled by coach Ron Rivera himself, who made sure everyone heard him say they’d want to take a look at all the top quarterbacks in the draft, prior to actually settling in and doing the thing everyone expected (taking defensive end Chase Young second overall).

But there was enough talk to make any incumbent nervous, but Dwayne Haskins said Rivera put his mind at ease, and that last year’s first-round pick wasn’t worried about being replaced.

“Throughout the whole process Ron was just telling me to trust him,” Haskins said, via J.P Finlay of NBC Sports Washington. “I did so it worked out.”

Of course, Haskins isn’t in the clear yet, as Rivera brought in known commodity Kyle Allen (his old Carolina backup) and the Alex Smith comeback is a thing that appears to be happening.

But it’s typical of Rivera’s leadership style to try to build some trust within the locker room, and keeping the guy most likely to be his starting quarterback on the same page was a smart move. Whether it works out that Haskins’ trust is justified is now largely dependent on Haskins himself, and how he responds on the field.