Steelers and former WFT QB Dwayne Haskins now have officially reached agreement on a one-year contract, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 21, 2021
Just hours after the Steelers brought former Washington Football Team quarterback Dwayne Haskins in for a visit, he inked a one-year deal.
For Haskins, who has drawn comparisons to Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh is an ideal setting to develop. And Mike Tomlin, who was high on him during the draft process, is just the head coach to do it.
Haskins, 23, was the No. 15 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft. In just 14 games, he threw for 4,831 yards and 50 touchdowns at Ohio State and was third in Heisman Trophy voting.
Unfortunately for Haskins and WFT, his transition to the NFL was not a smooth one. As a starter, he’s 3-10 and has 12 touchdowns to 14 interceptions.
Haskins’ signing should put a little pressure on Roethlisberger’s current backup, Mason Rudolph, to work his tail off this offseason. I’d be shocked if the two didn’t compete at training camp for the backup spot.
Of course, there’s the issue of Haskins’ immaturity. As much as developing as a quarterback, he’ll need to develop as a person. Haskins had his captain status revoked in December after being found partying at a strip club without a mask. He was fined $40,000 for violating COVID-19 protocol.
Five days later, after a poor performance in which Haskins was benched, he refused to speak with the media in what had been a routine postgame press conference. He was cut four days later.
Perhaps Haskins will leave what happened in Washington, in Washington. Only time will tell.
