The Story of Dwayne Haskins as an Amateur
There is no doubt Dwayne Haskins’ career has been eventful. It all started when was a teenager, he was highly sought after during his high school career. The quarterback had over 35 Division 1 college scholarship offers according to ESPN. Haskins was the 63rd ranked high school recruit in the network’s rankings in the Class of 2016. All his high school success also got him an invite to the Elite 11 for the best quarterbacks of that year.
The quarterback decided to sign with and play for Ohio State during his collegiate career. He only played one season as a starter there. Haskins made the most of it with that one year though. He won the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and the Sammy Baugh Trophy that season. The quarterback was satisfied with the success he experienced in college at that point. He then declared for the NFL Draft after his redshirt sophomore season.
Dwayne Haskins in the NFL
Haskins was selected with the 15th overall pick by the Washington Football Team in the 2019 NFL Draft. That put a little chip on his shoulder. He fell out of the top 10 of the draft. That was something almost no experts were predicting. He was even selected after Daniel Jones. It was expected that he would have a great career after that. He was supposed to be the quarterback to turn that franchise around. Things did not go as planned.
Haskins struggled mightily during his short stint in Washington. He had more interceptions than touchdowns during that time. The team also had a record of 3-10 when he started for them. There could have been a myriad of reasons for this. The franchise was beginning a new rebuild after hiring Ron Rivera as their head coach prior to last season. The team was extremely poor in terms of talent. This all could have been overcome in time though.
Haskins’ time in Washington however was coming to an end. A terrible series of events unfolded during the final week of his tenure there. He was caught attending a strip club while not wearing a mask. This resulted in a $40,000 fine as it was strictly against the league’s COVID protocols. This led to him being stripped of his captainship, being benched for the final game of the regular season, and being waived by the team shortly after. His short career with the team was done in less than two seasons in Washington.
The Redemption Arc of Dwayne Haskins
Thins appeared bleak for the former first-round draft pick. This once-promising young player was now looking like another bust. Something that is unfortunately far too common. Things were starting to look a little brighter though. The Pittsburgh Steelers decided to take a flyer on him by signing Haskins to a reserve/futures contract.
Most in the football world thought this meant that he would be the starting quarterback after Ben Roethlisberger retires. That however was not a guarantee. The team already had Mason Rudolph on the roster who has been Roethlisberger’s primary backup. The Steelers had just signed him to a one-year extension through this last offseason. They also had quarterback Josh Dobbs on the roster. Haskins was in one of the deepest quarterback rooms in the entire NFL.
Haskins looked like he was on pace to secure the role of second-string quarterback behind Big Ben. All that was needed to seal it was a solid performance in their final preseason game. That, again, did not happen. The Steelers struggled against the Panthers. Pittsburgh’s offense only put up nine points in that contest. That was not exactly what Haskins needed. He went into the game trying to wrap up the number two spot on the depth chart. The quarterback was now wondering if would even make the final roster. Fortunately, it looks like he will make the team at this point according to NFL Network.
Where Does He Go From Here?
Haskins’ future is still not written in stone. Just because he appears to be making the Steelers’ final roster right now, that does not mean they will not bring in someone else. He could very well find himself on the streets again. One question still remains. Is he climbing toward the peak of his NFL career? Possibly. I certainly hope so. It is also possible that we are watching him come down for what might be the final time.
Closing Thoughts
This article was published on the Belly Up Sports website and specifically its NFL page. Belly Up Sports also has a Twitter page where you can interact with the network. I also have written for this outlet before so see my most recent story if you would like. If you would like to talk to me directly, feel free to chat with me on my Twitter as well. Try to keep it clean and proper. If you are incapable of doing so, ignore that completely and battle it out with me. Just a few warnings for those who dare challenge me. I am highly competitive and hate to admit when I am wrong. So be prepared for a war of words.
