The Pittsburgh Steelers are giving Dwayne Haskins a second chance, signing the former Washington quarterback to a reserve/future contract. Haskins adds to the Steelers’ 90-man offseason roster.
He gets the opportunity to rehabilitate his career that stumbled in the two seasons he spent in Washington. Haskins will go through offseason activities and potentially training camp with the Steelers.
Washington waived Haskins last month, less than a full two seasons selecting him 15th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. He wore out his welcome with poor play and off field distractions.
Following his release, Haskins switched agents, signing with Goal Line Football. The agency also represents Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
Haskins lands in an ideal situation for him to develop professionalism, maturity, and as a quarterback. The 23-year old will get to learn behind future Hall-of-Famer Ben Roethlisberger, who turns 39 in March.
If he is able to get on track, he will be surrounded by a well-established and successful culture in Pittsburgh. Something that Washington is striving for. But first he’ll have impress the coaching staff to get an opportunity to go beyond just a training camp add.
Despite being a first-round pick, Haskins struggled to gain the confidence of the two coaching staffs he played with in Washington. From the onset, there were doubts everyone in the building was on board with his selection. That included head coach Jay Gruden.
After Gruden was fired five games into the season, Haskins started seven games to mix results. Ron Rivera became Washington’s head coach. Despite being named the starting QB and a team captain to start the season, Haskins’ relationship with Rivera was no better. Haskins made six starts in 2020. He was benched after the first four; violated COVID protocols twice (and was fined both times); stripped of his captaincy and benched again before being released after a Week 16 loss.
“I take full responsibility for not meeting the standards of a NFL QB & will become a better man and player because of this experience,” Haskins tweeted following his release.
In 16 career games, Haskins completed 60.1% of his passes for 2,804 yards, 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
