Dwayne Haskins expected to make Pittsburgh Steelers' 53-man roster

Former Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins is likely to make the Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Haskins, a former first-round pick by the Washington Football Team, was released last season and signed with the Steelers, hoping to revive his NFL career. That appears to be what he has done, at least for now.

“Steelers QB Dwayne Haskins, the former WFT first-rounder, is expected to make the initial roster in Pittsburgh, sources say,” Rapoport tweeted. “A cool story, as Haskins worked his way back and has earned it.”

Haskins started Friday’s preseason finale for the Steelers. Over Pittsburgh’s four preseason games, Haskins completed 37-of-58 passes (63.7 percent) with 379 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Haskins looking to prove he can be the Steelers’ QB of the future

Longtime Steelers’ starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is nearing the end of his storied NFL career. When he decides to hang up the cleats, the Steelers will need to find an answer at quarterback. Haskins might be the guy.

As a sophomore at Ohio State, Haskins had a huge season and established himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation. In his Ohio State career, Haskins completed 70 percent of his passes for 5,396 yards, 54 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He finished third in 2018 Heisman voting. The Washington Football Team was looking for its quarterback of the future and took Haskins with the 15^th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Haskins never got a full season to be Washington’s starter. As a rookie in 2019, he played in nine games, throwing for 1,365 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions with a passer rating of 76.1. In 2020, Haskins opened the season as the starter, but struggled in his seven games. He threw for 1,439 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions with a 73.0 passer rating. Haskins was eventually cut midway through the season, making the former first-round pick a free agent.

With the Steelers, Haskins has been looking to prove that he is capable of leading an NFL offense. Head Coach Mike Tomlin has tried to understand Haskins from a personal standpoint as well as on the field. The Steelers are hoping that Haskins becomes the starting quarterback that he believes he can be.

“I’ve been more concerned about Dwayne the person, kind of getting to know him and getting an understanding of what he’s been through and how that’s shaped him, affected him positively and negatively, how it’s affected the growth and development of his game,” Tomlin said earlier in the summer. “I think, more than anything, Dwayne and I are just trying to get to know one another.”