Dwayne Haskins has found his second NFL chance.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are signing Haskins to a one-year deal, the team announced. Haskins, 23, met with Steelers coaches early Thursday afternoon.
Haskins posted a picture of himself on Twitter with the contract along with two photoshopped images of him in a No. 3 Steelers jersey.
“#HereWeGo 3 in the Bible stands for restoration and eternal life. Let’s work,” he wrote.
It’s an intriguing marriage for both sides. Haskins, after being taken No. 15 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, was waived by the Washington Football Team last month after video surfaced of him partying maskless with strippers, the second time he violated COVID-19 protocol; earlier in the season he made a hotel reservation for a family friend before a road game against the Giants.
Haskins also struggled on the field and was benched by Ron Rivera early in the season for Kyle Allen, who later went down with a season-ending ankle injury. That led to Alex Smith’s triumphant return under center after a life-threatening leg injury. When Smith got hurt again, Haskins started again but ended up being benched for Taylor Heinicke.
In seven games (six starts), Haskins has 1,439 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions.
For the Steelers, they may see an opportunity to develop a former first-round pick as they face a major question about the future of their quarterback position. Ben Roethlisberger is likely returning for the 2021 season, but he’s 38 years old and started to show his age in 2020. Pittsburgh started 11-0 but finished 12-4 and lost to the Browns in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs. Mason Rudolph is currently the Steelers’ backup quarterback.
Haskins had also visited with the Panthers.