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Whether or not Dwayne Haskins has a future in the NFL is likely to be decided in the 2021 NFL preseason.
Sure, it's a lot of pressure, but it's the reality of the situation. Haskins was selected 15th overall by the Washington Football Team in the 2019 draft. What followed was a tumultuous two seasons with the Football Team.
In his two years in Washington, Haskins had 2,804 passing yards and 12 touchdowns, sub-par numbers at best. What was even more unsettling was that Haskins threw 14 interceptions. His production was underwhelming, to say the least, but it's not what ultimately got him released.
The final nail in his coffin at WFT was reportedly a poor work ethic and a lack of leadership skills.
Luckily for Haskins, the Steelers had an ongoing battle for the backup quarterback spot and felt signing Haskins to compete for the role was worth the risk.
In Thursday's preseason opener in Pittsburgh, all eyes were on Haskins. It was his first chance to change the narrative surrounding his skills as an NFL quarterback. With the dust settled on Thursday's game, here are three takeaways from Haskins' performance on the night.
3 takeaways from Dwayne Haskins' showing
#1 - He has a real shot at the number two quarterback job
The battle to back up Ben Roethlisberger is a three-man race between Haskins, Mason Rudolph and Joshua Dobbs.
Rudolph is the favorite to win the job as he's been Roethlisberger's backup quarterback for the past two seasons. That said, the backup quarterback job is still very much undecided. The position battle will ultimately be decided by the top performer in training camp and preseason action.
For this reason, Thursday night's first preseason game was of huge importance to Haskins, Rudolph, and Dobbs.
All three quarterbacks played a good amount of snaps against the Cowboys. Rudolph finished 6/9 with 84 passing yards and one fumble. Meanwhile, Haskins was 8/13 with 54 passing yards. Dobbs played the fewest snaps but also had the game's only passing touchdown. He ended the game 4/6 with 37 passing yards, one touchdown and one fumble.
Looking solely at the stats, Haskins' performance wasn't worth noting. Dig a little deeper, and it was clear Haskins had his moments.
He commanded the offense, was poised, and made some good throws. His decision-making was also more reliable than that of Rudolph or Dobbs.
Just one above-average preseason game won't win Haskins the number two quarterback job, but it does make it clear that he has a real shot.
#2 - He's much more careful with the football
Part of what made Haskins such a liability on the field with the Washington Football Team was his proneness to turning the ball over.
As previously mentioned, Haskins has 14 interceptions in the 16 regular-season games he's played in his career. That's not the only problem, though. Haskins has 12 career fumbles, six in both the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Twelve fumbles in only 16 career games played makes for one of the highest fumble rates in the NFL.
With turnover issues of that magnitude, it was important to see how Haskins would take care of the ball in the Steelers' preseason opener.
Haskins had zero turnovers Thursday night. He was about as careful with the football as he's ever been. Ironically, Haskins was the only Steelers quarterback to not fumble the football.
It's important to keep in mind that this was only one game. Yes, Haskins was much more efficient, but this is something he needs to do consistently to be a productive quarterback. How he takes care of the ball in preseason game number two will be intriguing to watch.
#3 - The upside is still evident
Although it never worked out in Washington, it was always clear that Haskins has the potential to be a good quarterback. Look no further than his 2018 season with the Ohio State Buckeyes to see how good Haskins can really be. He threw for 4,831 yards and had 50 passing touchdowns.
He flashed some of that same potential on Thursday night. When Haskins is dialed in, his upside is tremendous. The problem throughout his NFL career is that he hasn't always been dialed in.
Some of the on-the-field struggles Haskins faces can be fixed through good coaching. However, concerns about Haskins' work ethic and leadership can only be fixed by himself. If he can get himself right in those departments, he'll have a bright NFL future because his natural talent is very much still there.
