When you're a first-round draft pick in the NFL, it comes with a lot of expectations. When you're a first-round quarterback, those expectations get ratcheted up even more.
And when you have both of those things happen and you're going to your hometown team? Well, then you feel the weight of Atlas on your shoulders.
So it was in Washington for Dwayne Haskins, who starred in high school in the Washington D.C. area before leaving for Ohio State.
Washington selected Haskins with the 15th pick in the draft in 2019, reportedly at the behest of owner Daniel Synder, who saw an opportunity to add some excitement by bringing a former local hero into the fold.
A little over a year and a half later, Haskins found himself on the street, released late last season by a team that had hired a new coaching staff for his second year in the league.
Haskins wasn't blameless for the failed marriage. He was fined for breaking COVID-19 protocols in 2020. His rookie season, he famously wasn't available to take a knee at the end of his first career victory because he was too busy celebrating with fans.
Victory selfie for Dwayne Haskins (@dh_simba7)#HTTR @ABC7News pic.twitter.com/W8CvaBdKN0
— Chip Brierre (@Chip_Brierre) November 24, 2019
No doubt mistakes were made.
But Haskins has a new start in Pittsburgh, which signed him to a one-year deal soon after the season ended. It's essentially a low-cost, prove-it deal that costs the Steelers nothing if it doesn't work out.
For Haskins, he knows it's much more than that. The former Ohio State star knows this is his chance for a career reboot. And if this one doesn't work out, the next opportunity just might not come.
"My expectation here is to make everyone who decided to take a chance on me look good and work as hard as I can and let my work speak for itself," Haskins said Thursday as the Steelers wrapped up their three-day minicamp at Heinz Field. "I want to be able to take after Big Ben. But that comes in due time. They expect a lot out of me, as far as being prepared and being the best version of myself. That’s what they want out of me and let my actions speak for themselves."
For the Steelers, that would be ideal. With Ben Roethlisberger now 39, the Steelers are looking for an heir apparent. They selected Mason Rudolph in the third round of the 2018 draft, and while he's shown flashes of ability, he's also shown the inconsistencies of a young quarterback when pressed into play. The team also has Josh Dobbs, a former fourth-round pick, on the roster.
But getting a young former first-round quarterback -- even one who has flamed out in another stop -- is a gift. They plan on giving Haskins every opportunity to reinvent himself and see what happens.
Roethlisberger is signed only through the end of this season, so the Steelers feel this could be an extended tryout for Haskins to show he deserves to be in the mix as a potential long-term replacement.
"It's exciting from a coaching perspective with one of those guys being a (24)-year-old guy like Dwayne Haskins, who was viewed globally as having first-round talent just a short time ago," Mike Tomlin said just before this year's NFL Draft. "We're excited about working with him and seeing what his skill set and hoping him improve is, as well."
That work has begun. Haskins has been a regular at the team's offseason program, learning a new offense and his new teammates. He knew Dobbs from their college days and spent time working out with Rudolph prior to OTAs.
Meeting Roethlisberger at the OTAs, however, was a different matter.
"I’ve been a big Big Ben fan for a while," Haskins said. "Just to be able to be in the room with these guys and being able to learn from them has been a great experience.
"I remember when I was seven years old when Ben won his first Super Bowl. I tell him that all the time, about how old he is. It’s funny he’s still playing at a high level."
Roethlisberger has taken to the new quarterback well. He complimented Haskins two weeks ago when asked about him, saying how well he throws the ball.
"His release and throwing mechanics are some of the prettiest I’ve ever seen," Roethlisberger said. "I told him I wish I had that, just everything he does. And he throws the ball, I joke that he could throw the ball through a car wash and it wouldn’t get wet. He’s learning. It’s obviously a new system for him. He’s young in the league. But it’s fun to have that young energy around and, like I said, when he throws the football, it’s pretty."
Haskins appreciates that coming from a player such as Roethlisberger. But he also knows throwing the ball well isn't the only thing that comes with playing the position -- a hard lesson he learned under the microscope in Washington.
At Ohio State, things came easily. He beat out Joe Burrow for the starting job in 2018, forcing Burrow to transfer to LSU. And he had a stellar season, throwing for over 4,800 yards with 50 touchdown passes and just eight interceptions, leaving school after his redshirt sophomore season and just one year as a starter.
Maybe it was all too soon.
In 13 career starts in the NFL, Haskins led Washington to just a 3-10 record. He did complete 60.1 percent of his passes for 2,804 yards with 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, but there were questions from sources within the organization regarding his maturity.
Was he ready to be a leader? Was he ready to be the face of a franchise? Could he handle the pressure?
"Situations are different and environments that you get drafted into," Haskins said. "It’s not really something you can plan for or prepare for. I tried the best that I could and it just didn’t work out the way that I wanted it to. But I’m just grateful to be here in Pittsburgh and thankful to have another shot."
What he does with that shot is completely up to him.
He knows the Steelers have little invested in him. He's seen first-hand how quickly things can fall apart in the NFL, where you can go from hero to zero in no time.
He's intent on not allowing that to happen again. He can't change the past. But he can control the future.
"It’s all about perception. Some of the things were taken the way they were taken. That is what it is. I can’t go back and change it," Haskins said. "I can’t go back and tell people what really happened or how it really was. It’s in the past now and all I can do is make sure I’m doing better than before. That’s my main focus.
"It was, for sure, humbling. I just wanted to be in a place where I felt like I was wanted. I feel like I’m wanted here. I’m just thankful for the opportunity to be somewhere where I can be myself, where I can just play ball and not have to worry about all of the other stuff that comes with it."
