Former Washington Commanders quarterback Dwayne Hasking passed away Saturday morning in South Florida. While walking along I-595 he was struck and killed by a dump truck. Haskins was 24 years of age.
Haskins, now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, was in Florida training with his Steelers teammates for the upcoming season. Last season he was a third string quarterback behind Ben Roethlisberger and Mason Rudolph after signing a reserve/future contract in January 2021. He re-signed with Pittsburgh in March for next season.
Before he was with the Steelers he spent two seasons in Washington. The now Commanders selected him in the first-round of the 2019 NFL Draft after an incredible 2018 season in college at Ohio State.
Unfortunately, less than two full seasons he was released in December of 2020 following a Week 16 loss to the Carolina Panthers.
But before his NFL career, his humble beginnings started in high school at The Bullis School. A native of New Jersey, Haskins moved to Potomac, Maryland ahead of high school. He was Maryland’s Gatorarde Player of the Year his junior year. He then threw for 908 yards and nine touchdowns in three games as a senior, according to Max Preps.
Haskins emerged as one of the nation’s top recruits. He originally chose to remain in-state in college, committing to the University of Maryland. But, head coach Randy Edsall was fired during the 2015 season and Haskins’ top recruiter Mike Locksley, at the time wasn’t sticking around.
Thus, Haskins backed out his commitment and later signed with Ohio State in early February 2016. But, he redshirted his freshman year. As sophomore he backed up J.T. Barrett in 2017. That season Haskins saw his first collegiate snap against Army.
He did mostly mop-up duty until The Big Game against Michigan when he was nationally introduced to the rest of college football. He came in after Barrett went down with a foot injury late in the third quarter.
Haskins played well, overcoming a six-point comeback to beat the Wolverines. He threw for 565 yards and four touchdowns for the season.
Entering his junior season Haskins had a lot of hype. He beat out Joe Burrow in a heated competition to be named the starting QB for the Buckeyes. He led the Buckeyes with the greatest single season in Ohio State history as a passer.
His season was highlighted by his performance of throwing for 396 yards and six touchdowns against Michigan. He then led the Buckeyes to a Big Ten championship, beating Northwestern in the title game and earning MVP.
He capped off the remarkable season with a Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin while winning offensive MVP of the game.
Haskins set both Big Ten and school records with 50 touchdowns against eight touchdowns. He threw for 4,831 yards, shattering Ohio State’s single-season record for most passing yards. He also set the school and Big Ten record with 50 touchdowns against eight interceptions.
Ohio State finished third in the final AP rankings. Haskins finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting.
One season was all Haskins needed to declare for the 2019 NFL Draft that January. He left school forever an Ohio State legend.
The Washington Commanders selected Haskins with the No. 15 draft pick, presenting him the chance to come back to his DMV roots.
Haskins proclaimed “the league done messed up” after NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced his selection.
But the door Haskins walked into was no homecoming. He had to overcome the resistance of his head coach Jay Gruden. Not feeling wanted was tough enough to go with the usual growing pains.
Still, Haskins flashed promise. After Gruden was fired after Week 5, Haskins eventually got his first career start in Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills, a 24-9 loss. Haskins threw for a meager 144 yards. His first win as a starter came two weeks later against the Detroit Lions.
Working alongside offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell, Haskins threw for 1,365 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions in seven starts as a rookie.
Haskins entered his second season in Washington with high expectations under a new head coach, Ron Rivera. Haskins helped lead a comeback from down 17-0 to beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1. He threw for 178 yards and a touchdown.
But his struggles resurfaced after that game. After a Week 4 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Haskins reportedly bragged about his stats — 32-of-45 (71.1%) for 314 yards and one rushing touchdown.
Unfortunately, for Haskins he was benched and demoted to third string quarterback behind Kyle Allen and Alex Smith coming off a horrific leg injury two years prior.
Despite a season-ending ankle injury for Allen in Week 8, Haskins wouldn’t touch the field again until Week 14 against the San Francisco 49ers. He replaced an injured Smith during the game, a 23-15 win for Washington.
With Smith out, Haskins started the next two games, both losses. Both games he struggled as well. He threw one touchdown and four interceptions in the two games combined.
After the loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 14, Haskins was ridiculed for violating the NFL COVID-19 protocols. He was pictured not wearing a mask at a party for his then fiance’. Washington fined him $40,000 and stripped him of his captaincy.
The fine was his second of the season, as he was fined earlier in the season for booking a room for a family friend at Washington’s team hotel in New Jersey ahead of their Week 6 game against the Giants.
After the tumultuous week after the Seahawks game, Haskins got one more chance to prove himself the following week against the Panthers. However, he completed 14 of his 28 attempts and was benched late in the game for Taylor Heinicke.
Haskins cut him shortly after the game. Once pegged as the potential franchise quarterback, Haskins was out of Washington after just 13 starts. He threw 12 touchdowns against 14 interceptions.
Haskins signed with the Steelers in January 2021. He fit well in Pittsburgh. Teammates liked him. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin voiced support at every turn.
Haskins didn’t take a regular season snap in Pittsburgh. Sadly his chance at redemption and life was cut far too short. His professional career ended with him playing in 16 games. He threw for 2,804 yards, 12 touchdowns and 14 picks. He was 3-10 as a starter.
His death was met with an outpouring of tributes from teammates, current and former coaches, players around the NFL and even the Commanders owners Dan and Tanya Snyder. One common theme from the honors was his infectious smile, caring heart, and love shown.
From most accounts, his pro career didn’t affect his overall view on life. For those afar, however, he’ll be remembered as a player. In that player, Dwayne Haskins is an Ohio State legend. He is an illustration of unfulfilled promise and potential.
But in remembering Haskins as a player, still keep in mind he was a husband, son, friend, teammate and one who will live on in the hearts and minds of many Ohio State, Washington and Pittsburgh fans.
