Dwayne Haskins: “To be the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers is a dream.”

[Steeler Nation]

Well, we’re officially here, Steeler Nation; the off-season. After another beat down in Kansas City, the Pittsburgh Steelers have cleaned out the locker rooms, made their vacation plans, and said goodbye to each other until spring and summer camps. This off-season for the Steelers is going to be much different than what we’ve seen for the last 18 years; a hunt for the new quarterback. With Ben Roethlisberger presumably retiring, this leaves a major hole in the offense that has to be addressed. With Roethlisberger leaving such a legacy at the quarterback position in Pittsburgh, fans aren’t going to settle for a mediocre name off the street. Head coach Mike Tomlin has been his usual cryptic self by not committing to any specific avenue, yet mentioning backup quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins still have a chance to compete for the starting spot. While we wait for a formal announcement from Roethlisberger at some point in the off-season, we don’t know when the pressure will be turned up between Rudolph and Haskins. So, Haskins spent some time with the media on Wednesday to talk about how he is approaching the off-season.






Haskins was drafted 15th overall in the 2019 draft by the Washington Football Team. Being one of the top-ranked quarterbacks in that year’s NFL Draft, there were lofty expectations for him in Washington. Haskins was drafted in anticipation of him becoming a franchise quarterback; those hopes quickly faded in his first two seasons. After getting released early in 2021, Haskins accepted a bit of a career change and sat behind Roethlisberger for the entire season. Seeing as how much of a shift this was, going from starting quarterback to third-string behind a 17-year veteran, Haskins was asked about what he learned from his first experience on the Steelers’ roster:

“I feel like I learned a lot from not playing this year,” he said. “Coach T. and a lot of guys just wanted me to have the opportunity to sit back and learn. I had an opportunity to do that in college, then get drafted early then played early, I never really had a chance to learn the NFL game the way that it should be done and the way the Steelers want it done, so they gave me an opportunity to understand the ‘Steelers way,’ how they want their quarterbacks to operate, how Ben operated, and it was a great learning experience to be able look forward to next year and try to embody what it is to be a guy like Ben and try to take over a great franchise the way he did.”

Of course, we are all too familiar with the continued offensive woes this season. After an off-season of implementing a new offensive coordinator and scheme along with a new offensive line and key players, it seemed like 2021 was supposed to be ‘the’ year for the offense. It ended as the complete opposite of that. Offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s style of play, being more mobile than ‘drop back and pass,’ didn’t seem to mesh with Roethlisberger’s style. So naturally, Haskins was asked about how he could fit into that more mobile scheme:

“Coach Tomlin does a great job of preaching mobility,” Haskins said. “I think he [Tomlin] defines ‘quarterback mobility’ as someone who can extend plays and not necessarily a Lamar Jackson type or a guy who can take off for 60 yards, but a guy that can get a first down, be able to move around in the pocket and make a guy miss. I’m kind of the way young Ben [Roethlisberger] was, like how he was like Josh Allen-type early on in his career and that sounds like how Matt [Canada] can add another dimension onto the offense.”

The starting spot for the quarterback position is wide open. Coach Tomlin explained yesterday that all options are on the table and that Haskins, along with Rudolph, will need to compete for that spot. No one is entitled to assume that role. This then begs the question of why Haskins should be considered for the starting spot. Or, how bad does he want to be the starting quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers? To that, Haskins explained:

“I wanted to be a quarterback my entire life. To be the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers is a dream. I remember watching Ben Roethlisberger when I was a young kid in 2004 and watching him play, so I’ve always had great respect for the black and gold, I have great respect for Coach Tomlin, you know the guy has had 15 seasons without a losing record. So for me, I want to be able to show him that I want this bad, focused, I want to be a leader, and be the guy that people can rely on, on and off the field; more than just a guy that can throw the ball and talented enough to be in a position to execute at a high level and keep the Steelers way.”

There is no doubt we are in for one of the most tumultuous off-seasons we’ve seen in decades, and a lot of it rides on the quarterback position. We’ll be watching closely as we inch closer and closer to this year’s draft in April.



Do you think Haskins has what it takes to be the starting quarterback for the Steelers? Where do you think he’ll land on the depth chart in September? Let us know in the comments below!

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[pittbull]

We can only hope it sinks in.

 

[Steelr4evr]

Well he's saying all of the right things. Doing them is another thing.

 

[SteelerFan448]

Well he's saying all of the right things. Doing them is another thing.

Yep, this sounds great, we just haven't seen any action. Was there any point anyone has watched Haskins in the NFL and thought he could be a franchise QB? He needs to produce real fast if he wants even a shot at a backup job.

 

[Steelr4evr]

Yep, this sounds great, we just haven't seen any action. Was there any point anyone has watched Haskins in the NFL and thought he could be a franchise QB? He needs to produce real fast if he wants even a shot at a backup job.

No just a bunch of sucking and doing stupid ****. Takes A LOT for a high first round draft qb to get cut that fast.

 

[Shane Falco]

One thing I remember about him during the preseason vs Rudy is how the offense responded to Haskins vs Rudy. He was able to move the ball better. No matter who, we are going to go through some growing pains and missed playoffs again. If we have to suffer through it until we find the right quarterback, I’ll deal with jt.

 

[slashsteel]

One thing I remember about him during the preseason vs Rudy is how the offense responded to Haskins vs Rudy. He was able to move the ball better. No matter who, we are going to go through some growing pains and missed playoffs again. If we have to suffer through it until we find the right quarterback, I’ll deal with jt.

I could be remembering wrong but didn't Haskins start off good then taper off?

 

[Shane Falco]

I could be remembering wrong but didn't Haskins start off good then taper off?

Yeah. I think he struggled but was still able to move the ball and the players around him still played for him.

 

[Buster]

I agree with him. He is dreaming.

 

[Badcat]

Keep dreaming titstick!!

 

[thesteelcity]

Hoping something clicks and he becomes the man. He showed some flashes in pre-season then looked like total *** in the last game he played.

 

[mdk2]

He left out the word pipe.