CHARLOTTE, NC – Former defender of the football team Dwayne Haskins will pay a visit to the Carolina Panthers on Monday, a league source confirmed on Saturday.
Haskins was released by Washington after a week 16 defeat to the Panthers and a week after being photographed without a mask at his girlfriend’s birthday party after a loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Haskins was fined $ 40,000 for his second violation of the COVID-19 protocols and lost his captaincy, but made his second consecutive game in the loss to Carolina.
The Panthers’ current interest in Haskins should come as no surprise.
Panthers coach Matt Rhule recruited Haskins, 23, when he was Temple’s head coach. Asked about this after Haskins was released, Rhule said that highly recruited players “didn’t spend a lot of time talking to us”.
Haskins ended up in Ohio and set several school pass records during an attack guided by then offensive coordinator Ryan Day. Day, now the Buckeyes’ head coach, worked with Rhule at Temple when they were both assistants in 2006.
Haskins was Washington’s 15th choice in 2019 and may be a good fit in Carolina’s friendly quarterback attack.
The fact that Rhule did not give Teddy Bridgewater a vote of confidence as a starter in 2021 and say that Bridgewater needed to have a “tremendous off-season” leaves some uncertainty surrounding the Panthers’ quarterback position.
Behind Bridgewater is ex-XFL star PJ Walker and the 2019 third round pick, Will Grier.
Other teams have expressed interest in Haskins. Although his visit to Carolina was described as exploratory, that does not mean that it could not become a signature.
When such a signature could occur, it is not yet known. The Panthers are also interviewing candidates for general manager. They have already interviewed at least 13, including two inmates.
The NFL Network previously reported on the Panthers’ planned interview with Haskins.
Haskins has had 3-10 as a Washington starter in the past two seasons. He completed 60.1% of his passes and launched 12 touchdowns for 14 interceptions.
The Panthers are also replacing quarterback coach Jake Peetz, recently appointed LSU offensive coordinator, and could lose offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
Brady was interviewed by Houston, Atlanta and Los Angeles Chargers for vacancies as a head coach.