Dwayne Haskins named starter for Pittsburgh Steelers final preseason game

Dwayne Haskins has continued to turn heads while remaking his career in Pittsburgh this summer. Today, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin named him the starter for Friday’s preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers.

Steelers’ HC Mike Tomlin said QB Dwayne Haskins will start his team’s preseason finale Friday night against the Panthers.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 25, 2021

While veteran signal caller Ben Roethlisberger isn’t going anywhere, it’s obvious Haskins is making an impression on the organization. When he’s had the opportunity, the former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback has impressed.

So far this preseason, Haskins has completed 28 of 42 passes for 271 yards and one touchdown. Additionally, the former Washington Football Team quarterback has received first-team reps in practice as a recognition of his hard work.

“I thought he was in command tonight,” Tomlin said, following Haskins’ performance in the Steelers’ second preseason game. “He did a great job communicating with people, going through his progressions.

“There was a third-down play, third-and-8 maybe, and I saw him go through three or four reads and throw the ball over the middle of the field and convert for us. That was a snapshot of the night he had.”

Originally, Haskins was considered a reclamation project for the Steelers. As for the early returns, they look great so far.

‘I’ve been more concerned about Dwayne the person.’

The physical tools Haskins possessed have never been an issue. He throws a beautiful football, and has proven he has what it takes to be a quarterback in the NFL – physically.

It’s been the mental aspect of his game that’s been criticized. Last season, it was the quarterback’s immaturity and inability to lead the franchise through difficult times that ran him out of him.

Now, Tomlin is focused on helping Haskins with it. It’s no secret that Tomlin has been leading the charge for Haskins since Pittsburgh signed him, and he’s looking like a genius for doing so.

“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 of Haskins in June. “I think, more than anything, Dwayne and I are just trying to get to know one another. 

“It starts there, and then we can focus on some things relative to the game itself. I leave some of the minutia and some of the details about his football development between him and Sully [Mike Sullivan] and [Matt] Canada. I just want to get to know the young man and help him grow in that way.”

So far, Haskins growth as a player and as a person has been on full display in Pittsburgh. As the Steelers look for their eventual replacement for Roethlisberger, Dwayne Haskins is throwing his name in the hat.