Former no. 15-time fullback Dwayne Haskins was with the Washington Football Team just two seasons before his release. The fact that a new head coach who did not select him took over the franchise in his second season did not help, but Haskins’ play on and off the field also contributed to his release.
Haskins passed as a starter in 2020 with 1-5 and completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 1,439 yards, five times and seven interceptions. In a recent podcast interview with Colin Cowherd of FS1, Ron Rivera, head coach of Washington, spoke about the franchise’s decision to release Haskins. While admitting that Haskins had talent, he said the former Ohio State star struggled to “prioritize” and it felt like something was banning him from taking his game to the next level.
“You know what? I tried to get along with him,” Rivera told Cowherd. according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. “He’s a very talented player. He has an NFL arm, a legal arm, and there’s a part of him he wants, but something’s getting in the way. I do not know what it was, and it was hard part because he put in the time, and then not. And you wonder, “Where is he? What is he doing?” You see him there and you go, ‘OK’, and then you do not see him. So, I think the thing he should do is just prioritize. The kid, like I said, he’s talented, and if he ever do get it, he’s going to make an impact. ‘
The events that led to Haskins’ release in December support Rivera’s thoughts. After Alex Smith succumbed to a calf injury, Haskins was included in the starting lineup again in Week 15 for Washington’s clash with the Seattle Seahawks. In the 20-15 loss, Haskins threw 295 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, unfortunately catching up with what he did after the final whistle.
Haskins was seen in an exotic club not wearing a mask, which is a clear violation of COVID-19 protocols. He apologized to his teammates for his mistake, and he was fined and stripped of his title as captain. Haskins then got another chance to win an NFC East title in Week 16 against the former team of Rivera in the Carolina Panthers, but he threw for only 154 yards and two interceptions before going into the second half for Taylor Heinicke was appointed. Less than 24 hours later, Haskins was released.
In January, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Haskins to a one-year deal. General Manager Kevin Colbert is optimistic about the signing and says the Steelers gave Haskins a high draft degree when he graduated from college.
“We’re excited to see what Dwayne can do with us,” Colbert said. “It did not work out for him in Washington. We had high grades over Dwayne who came from the state of Ohio. He was selected much higher than we could make the decision … He is a young, talented quarterback who we are eager to see what he can do as soon as he arrives here and works with us. ‘
There is no doubt that in his first two seasons, Haskins could have done more for himself on and off the field, but he really has his entire career ahead of him. If he can learn from his mistakes and ‘prioritize’ as Rivera puts it, Haskins can finally show the NFL world why he is considered one of the best signal callers in the 2019 NFL draft.