Former No. 15 in the overall ranking, Dwayne Haskins, spent just two seasons on the Washington Football Team before his release. Having a new coach who didn’t choose him to take over the franchise in his second season didn’t help, but Haskins’ game on and off the field also contributed to his release.
Haskins went 1-5 as a starter in 2020 and completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 1,439 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions. In a recent podcast interview with Colin Cowherd of FS1, Washington’s head coach Ron Rivera spoke about the franchise’s decision to release Haskins. Although he admitted that Haskins was talented, he said the former Ohio State star struggled to “prioritize” and felt as though something was forbidding him to take his game to the next level.
“You know what? I tried to come to terms with him,” Rivera told Cowherd, according to Nicki Jhabvala’s The Washington Post. “He is a very talented player. He has an NFL arm, a legitimate arm, and there is a part of him that he wants, but something continues to get in the way. I’m not sure what it was, and that was the difficult part because he dedicates, and then no, and you’re asking yourself, ‘Where is he? What is he doing?’ You see him there and say ‘OK’, but you don’t see him. I think what he needs to do is just prioritize. The boy, like I said, he’s talented and, if so, you know, he’s going to make an impact . “
The events that led to Haskins’ release in December reinforce Rivera’s thoughts. After Alex Smith fell with a calf injury, Haskins was reinstated on the starting lineup in Week 15 for Washington’s clash with the Seattle Seahawks. In the 20-15 defeat, Haskins shot for 295 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions and, unfortunately, made headlines with what he did after the final whistle.
Haskins was seen in what was reported as an exotic club without a mask, which was a clear violation of the COVID-19 protocols. He apologized to his comrades for his mistake and was fined and stripped of his title as captain. Haskins then had another chance to start and potentially win an NFC East title in Week 16 against Rivera’s former team at the Carolina Panthers, but he played for only 154 yards and two interceptions before being replaced by Taylor Heinicke in the second half. Less than 24 hours later, Haskins was released.
In January, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed a one-year contract with Haskins. General manager Kevin Colbert is optimistic about the hiring and says the Steelers gave Haskins a high score on recruiting when he was leaving college.
“We are looking forward to seeing what Dwayne can do with us,” said Colbert. “It didn’t work for him in Washington. We had high marks in Dwayne from Ohio. He was chosen much higher than we were able to make that decision … He is a talented young defender who we are looking forward to seeing what he can do when he gets here and starts working with us. “
There is no doubt that Haskins could have done more for himself on and off the pitch in his first two seasons, but he really has his whole career ahead of him. If he can learn from his mistakes and “prioritize”, as Rivera said, Haskins could end up showing the NFL world why he was considered one of the biggest callers in the NFL’s 2019 Draft.