Dwayne Haskins will start in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ preseason finale Friday against the Carolina Panthers. A first-round draft pick of the Washington Football Team just two years ago, Haskins is now vying just to make the Steelers’ 53-man roster as a backup quarterback.
Cut by Washington last December, Haskins landed a second chance under Mike Tomlin and the Steelers. Haskins has enjoyed the opportunity playing and learning under a respected head coach such as Tomlin.
On Wednesday while speaking to reporters, Haskins made a shocking admission that seemingly threw a shot at his two former head coaches in Washington.
“I think Coach Tomlin does a great job as far as giving you a scouting report of who you’re playing that week,” Haskins said, per Josh Rowntree of 93.7 The Fan. “I’ve never really had that before.”
Washington selected Haskins 15th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft despite then-head coach Jay Gruden making it well-known he was not in favor of the selection. The tension that followed stunted Haskins’ development as a rookie, even after Gruden was fired five games into the season.
Last season, Dwayne Haskins was given the starting job from Day 1 with head coach Ron Rivera. However, Washington had two insurances of QB’s behind Haskins in Kyle Allen and Alex Smith. Ultimately, Haskins’ poor play and poor off the field decisions led to his demise and release in Washington.
While it’s questionable how respected Gruden is around the league, Rivera has a more favorable stature. Players have loved playing for him, but last year, was a difficult season on multiple fronts. Rivera was battling cancer amid a global pandemic that forced the NFL teams to alter their preparation for games.
Could that have played a factor in Haskins’ comment? Nevertheless, Tomlin is a Super Bowl-winning coach. Each team’s coaching staff has their own approach. Maybe Tomlin’s scouting methods are a bit more detailed? Or could Haskins be doing some embellishing?
