The Pittsburgh Steelers gave Dwayne Haskins a second chance in the NFL after the Washington Football team dropped him last season despite being selected in the first round in 2019.
For now, at least, Pittsburgh’s low-risk aviator on Haskins looks like it could pay off massively. Even those who doubt him most had to admit that Haskins looked good in Thursday’s preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He led the Steelers on four scoring drives (three touchdowns and a field goal) before leaving the field.
- Dwayne Haskins stats vs Eagles: 16-of-22 pass for 161 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, 108.3 passer rating
In the battle with Mason Rudolph for the backup QB job behind Ben Roethlisberger, it is clear that Haskins has the higher upper limit and the superior arm strength. It’s all about whether he can continue to be consistent and make good decisions on and off the pitch.
While critics will be skeptical of Haskins’ performance since he played against backups, he could have played well enough to get a preseason start against Rudolph next week. Haskins took what the Eagles defense gave him but made an unscheduled 22 yard touchdown throw to Anthony Johnson that required a little improvisation.
Rudolph has been in Pittsburgh for a few years and he just doesn’t look like a viable long-term successor to Big Ben. When the Steelers take on the Detroit Lions next Saturday, they should really consider starting Haskins and see how he fares against the superior competition – and with better players around him too.
After all, the signing of Haskins was about the fact that he could still live up to his accounting in the first round and maybe take the reins of Roethlisberger on the street.
Thursday was a small but significant step in gaining Haskin’s trust with the Steelers organization. They know what they have in Rudolph. You might as well see more of what they have in Haskins.
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