Dwayne Haskins found his second chance in the NFL.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are signing a one-year contract with Haskins, the team announced. Haskins, 23, met the Steelers’ coaches early Thursday afternoon.
Haskins posted a picture of him on Twitter with the contract, along with two photoshopped images of him in a Steelers # 3 shirt.
“#HereWeGo 3 in the Bible means restoration and eternal life. Let’s go to work, ”he wrote.
It is an intriguing marriage for both sides. Haskins, after finishing 15th in the 2019 NFL Draft, was dismissed by the Washington Football Team last month after a video of him partying unmasked with strippers appeared, the second time he violated the COVID-19 protocol; earlier in the season, he made a hotel reservation for a family friend before a street game against the Giants.
Haskins also struggled on the pitch and was replaced by Ron Rivera at the start of the season by Kyle Allen, who later suffered an ankle injury later in the season. This led to Alex Smith’s triumphant return to the center after a life-threatening leg injury. When Smith was injured again, Haskins started again, but was eventually replaced by Taylor Heinicke.
In seven games (six games), Haskins has 1,439 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions.
For the Steelers, they may see an opportunity to develop an earlier choice of the first round, as they face a big question about the future of their quarterback position. Ben Roethlisberger will likely return for the 2021 season, but he is 38 and started showing his age in 2020. Pittsburgh started 11-0, but finished 12-4 and lost to the Browns in the NFL playoff wild card round. Mason Rudolph is currently the reserve quarterback for the Steelers.
Haskins also visited the Panthers.