Anyone who keeps up with Redskins quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. on social media likely saw the picture he tweeted on May 30. With an undisclosed football field in the background, Haskins posed with his trio of second year wide receivers: Kelvin Harmon, Steven Sims Jr. and Terry McLaurin.
This might have been news to some, but not to those who also follow Harmon on Twitter and Instagram. Nearly two weeks before Haskins' post, Harmon put up a post-workout photo of him, Haskins and McLaurin with the caption "A+ In Chemistry".
What fans may not know is that Harmon and Haskins have been training together long before these social media posts, continuing to build the chemistry that was clearly evident towards the end of the 2019 campaign.
"I've been throwing with Dwayne since February actually," Harmon told Redskins.com on May 20. "Before we got quarantined, we were always throwing together, just finding different fields to throw together. And then Terry got back a couple of weeks ago and we throw about three times per week."
A sixth-round pick in 2019, Harmon waited patiently for his opportunity to produce as a rookie. Over the first nine weeks, he only played in about 26% of the offensive snaps twice and combined for 75 yards on eight catches.
But after the bye week, with then-starting wideout Paul Richardon inactive, Harmon played nearly every offensive snap against the New York Jets and produced career highs in targets (six), catches (five) and receiving yards (53).
From that point forward, Harmon turned into one of Haskins' favorite targets, averaging five targets and nearly 41.4 yards per game.
WR Stats With Haskins As Starter (Weeks 9-16)
Player | Targets | Receptions | Yards | Yards Per Reception | Touchdowns |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Terry McLaurin | 47 | 30 | 461 | 15.4 | 2 |
Kelvin Harmon | 32 | 20 | 263 | 13.2 | 0 |
Steven Sims Jr. | 39 | 21 | 196 | 9.3 | 3 |
Part of the reason for Harmon's success was the time he spent with Haskins during the pre-draft process at Mamba Sports Academy in California, where they imagined what it would be like to be NFL teammates.
"We hung out, and I caught a lot of balls from him during that time for like six months when we were training," Harmon said in November. "That definitely helped us out now."
The two continued to work closely during OTAs, training camp and the start of the -- they both were on the second-team offense during this time -- and that rapport carried into gamedays towards the end of their rookie campaigns. And after about a month apart following the season, Haskins and Harmon reconvened to ensure Year 2 will be even better.
Their extra time throwing together seems to be paying off.
"When we're connecting on deep balls, usually everybody kind of expects me being the fast guy I'm going to hit on them all and things like that," McLaurin told reporters during a videoconference June 11. "But Kelvin's timing has been great, and he and Dwayne [Haskins Jr.] are really building that chemistry."
Harmon has always had reliable hands, McLaurin added, but he's also been explosive and clean in his route running during their workouts together. Haskins has also noticed Harmon's improvement, telling reporters June 10 that Harmon is in great shape and "running like I've never seen him before."
Harmon said the biggest thing he learned as a rookie was acclimating to the speed of the game, so a lot of his focus this offseason has centered around his footwork, going through the speed latter and other drills with the hopes of getting in and out of his breaks quicker. He also knows that every day in the NFL is a competition and that his job is always in jeopardy, which has motivated him to always be available.
That's led to the countless hours working with Haskins, and the duo is ready showcase their offseason progress this fall.
"He's more comfortable, more confident," Harmon said of Haskins, "and obviously we've been building our chemistry together, which is only going to grow."