WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 10: Dwayne Haskins of the Washington Redskins attends a game between the Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on January 10, 2020 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Mike Tomlin’s team doesn’t feel like a defending division champion given last year’s late collapse. It should be a competitive summer for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
By season’s end, this didn’t look like a 12-4 football team. The Pittsburgh Steelers won their first 11 games for the first time in franchise history. And then collapsed late in the year, as was the case in both 2018 and ’19.
It’s a new year for the reigning AFC North champions, who endured an offseason that saw plenty of departures and very few notable additions. Training camp is later this month and Mike Tomlin’s club will play four preseason games this year, starting on August 5 in Canton, Ohio, against the Dallas Cowboys. But the summer could be really interesting for these three players. And keep in mind that fighting for your job doesn’t mean you’re about to lose it.
3. QB Dwayne Haskins
It is a crowded quarterback room in regards to Mike Tomlin’s team. Veteran Ben Roethlisberger is back for his 18th season and comes off a year in which the final numbers looked good looked good but the stretch run was a struggle. Mason Rudolph has had his moments the last few seasons. And Josh Dobbs was back with the club a season ago after being dealt to Jacksonville in 2019.
And now enter the 15th overall pick in ’19 in the form of Ohio State product Dwayne Haskins. After less than two years with the Washington Football Team, he was released by the organization. The Steelers signed him to a futures contract earlier this year, making for an intriguing situation.
“We have four quarterbacks that have played in NFL games, three of them have started NFL games,” said general manager Kevin Colbert to Dan Sileo of the National Football Show (via Cale Berger of SteelersNow). “So when we have some strength at that position, it was really an easy decision for us. And Dwayne does strengthen the competition at that position.”
The fight for Haskins comes in the form of eliminating the numerous issues he had both on and off the field in D.C. It’s a second chance for a talented prospect. But it won’t be easy.