PITTSBURGH — Dwayne Haskins said he’s been a big fan of Ben Roethlisberger since he was 7 years old and watched the Steelers quarterback win the Super Bowl in 2005. He appreciates that Roethlisberger said his arm is so strong he can throw a football through a car wash without it getting wet.
Most importantly, he said he would like to model his career after Roethlisberger, though in due time.
For now, Haskins is merely trying to show Roethlisberger and his new teammates and coaches he can resuscitate a young career that never got on track in Washington after being a ballyhooed first-round draft choice in 2019.
“Just coming here, I wanted to prove to the coaching staff and my teammates how much I love football and how grateful I am for the opportunity to be here and show them my mind is in the right place and I wanted to work and show my talents and be able to earn a spot here,” Haskins said.
The Steelers are giving Haskins, the 15th overall pick in the 2019 draft, the opportunity after the Washington Football Team gave up on him after he compiled a 3-10 record in 13 NFL starts in two seasons.
Haskins was released last season after a tumultuous week in which he was fined $40,000 by the league for reportedly attending a strip club without wearing a mask, a violation of the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols. That resulted in the team taking away his captain title. Several days later, he was benched in a game against Carolina after he completed half his passes, threw two interceptions and lost a fumble.
In his first session with the local media since being signed, Haskins was asked if he was surprised by what happened in Washington.
“I wouldn’t say I was surprised, it’s part of the business and realizing it wasn’t necessarily the people brought in by the new coaching staff,” Haskins said on Thursday, the final day of the team’s three-day minicamp at Heinz Field. “As the season went on, things weren’t going the way we both wanted it to. Being able to be here now, being able to work hard and figure things out together … I’m grateful for the opportunity Washington gave me, but I wasn’t completely surprised. But it was also definitely unfortunate to be released the way I was.”
The Steelers are taking a chance on Haskins, hoping he can develop into the player who threw 50 touchdowns in his only season as a starter at Ohio State — one of only seven players in NCAA history to reach that single-season milestone.. But it’s not much of a financial risk. They gave Haskins a one-year, $850,000 deal that will not cost them anything if he fails to make the team.
The most realistic expectation right now is merely trying to unseat Josh Dobbs as the No. 3 quarterback. Anything beyond that will come in time, if it does at all.
“My expectations here are to make everyone who took a chance on me look good,” Haskins said. “Just work as hard as I possibly can and let my work speak for itself. Of course I want to be able to take after Big Ben, but that comes in due time.
“They expect a lot out of me as far as being prepared and being the best version of myself and allowing that to speak for itself.”
Haskins was the third quarterback selected in the first round in 2019 — behind Kyler Murray (Arizona) and Daniel Jones (New York Giants) — and, like Murray, he spent only one season as a collegiate starter. In 14 starts at Ohio State, he completed 70% of his 533 attempts and threw only eight interceptions.
But, unlike Murray, who started 14 games and won the Heisman Trophy in his only season as the starter at Oklahoma, Haskins did not enjoy instant success in the NFL. He threw more interceptions (14) than touchdowns (12) in two seasons with Washington and did not display any of the accuracy that he did at Ohio State, completing 60.1% of his passes.
Was one season enough to prepare Haskins for the NFL?
“This is the nature of the business. You’ve got to be prepared,” Haskins said. “Definitely the situations are different, the environment you get into when you’re drafted is not always something you can play for or can prepare for, especially coming out of Ohio State or any college. I tried the best I could and it didn’t work out the way I wanted. I’m grateful to be in Pittsburgh and thankful for the opportunity to have another shot.”
After practice on Wednesday, Haskins spent some time on the field talking with coach Mike Tomlin, who described the session as getting to know his newest quarterback and also gaining an understanding of what Haskins has been through. He said he wants to help Haskins grow and develop as a player and person.
“Coach Tomlin has been a great guy as far as getting to know me, as far as what I need to do as a quarterback, what I need to do off the field,” Haskins said. “He’s been very hands-on with me. It’s great to work with a Hall of Fame coach, to take the time and start helping me out. He’s a great motivator. Everything I heard about him is true. Everybody loves him around here.”
Haskins is hoping to stick around to discover more.
