CANTON, Ohio -- Perhaps it's fitting that Dwayne Haskins gets a chance to officially kickstart his career back in Ohio.
After all, that's where the former Ohio State star worked his way into becoming a first-round pick of Washington in 2019. Now, he'll see his first game action as a member of the Steelers, who signed him after his unexpected release by Washington late last season, back in Ohio when they face the Cowboys in the Hall of Fame game.
The game will kick off a big weekend for the Steelers, who will have five former players and coaches inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- safeties Troy Polamalu and Donnie Shell, head coach Bill Cowher, guard Alan Faneca and scout Bill Nunn -- in addition to kicking off their 2021 preseason.
And for Haskins, it's all about continuing his path back to perhaps becoming the face of another franchise, something he was drafted 15th overall to be just two years ago before being jettisoned when he got caught up in a coaching change.
Off-field mistakes were made, but a lot was put on the plate of Haskins, who had gone to high school in the Washington D.C. area. He was viewed as the hometown hero and perhaps franchise savior. Now, he's just another quarterback fighting for a roster spot with the Steelers, who signed him to a one-year, prove-it deal in the offseason.
But playing in this game, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, where Haskins went as a kid to compete in football camps, and doing so in Ohio, is a bit comforting.
"It's my third year going into it. I've played in a lot of games," Haskins said. "As a kid, I went to a lot of camps, so I'm kind of familiar with the stadium. It being in Ohio does make it fun for me to be back home."
He'd like to find a home in Pittsburgh beyond this season. Ben Roethlisberger, who won't play in this game, is essentially going year to year and isn't under contract for 2022. But backup Mason Rudolph is.
Haskins has had a good, but not great training camp, thus far. But the same could be said of Rudolph, who will start before giving way to Haskins and then fourth-stringer Josh Dobbs. Some have suggested he's pushing Rudolph for that primary backup job, but that's something that will likely be decided by the coaching staff after watching the preseason.
"I'm trying to make it one, so we'll see," said of a potential battle between he and Rudolph.
Mike Tomlin pays attention to what happens in training camp practices. But he's always placed more emphasis on what happens in preseason games -- something he didn't get to see a year ago because of the pandemic last season.
"You learn significantly more, not only about them but about everyone; about veteran players, about coaches, about the cohesion relative to play, where there’s coach communication or in-game instruction and adjustments, or just general play," Tomlin said. "But it was fair a year ago because none of us had an opportunity to glean some of that information or gain that understanding of footing through last year’s process. This year’s process is this year’s process. We’re excited about gaining as much information as we can. It was a wild year last year."
The Steelers will have four preseason games with which to work this year, one more than than every other team except the Cowboys after the NFL trimmed the preseason to three games when it went to a 17-game regular season.
That means an extra 60 minutes with which to made some judgments.
Haskins has made 13 career starts. He's appeared in 16 career games, all with Washington.
He figures to be one of the more experienced players on the units with which he's playing as Tomlin will hold a number of starters out of this game.
As that experienced player -- let alone being the quarterback -- Haskins has a definitive plan.
"The goal for this game is to be decisive with my decision making, lead the guys who are in the huddle with me, have some fun out there while doing it and most importantly making sound decisions," he said.
"I definitely feel comfortable. When we started training camp, I was still trying to get into a rhythm. Now that we're two weeks into it, I understand where I can highlight a certain play, highlight a certain player against a certain defender, understanding how Ben does things as far as picking out matchups and executing plays and making checks."
As for reclaiming his status as a potential franchise starting quarterback, something he worked his way out of in Washington with some immature off-field behavior, including breaking COVID-19 protocols multiple times, Haskins believes he's on his way to doing that.
"I still think I've got a way to go, but in terms of being comfortable in my own skin, I feel I've done that," Haskins said.
The Steelers haven't made him any promises about his long-term future -- at least not publicly. Behind closed doors? That seems to be a different matter.
"I've been told certain things, but that's between me and the coaches," Haskins said. "It's up to me to just go out and play."
He'll do that for the first time Thursday.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Who: Steelers vs.Cowboys
• What: Hall of Fame game
• When: 8 p.m.Thursday
• Where: Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium
• Forecast: 80°, 5 mph wind
• TV: WPGH, FOX (national)
• Radio: 102.5 WDVE, ESPN Pittsburgh
• Streaming: Steelers Nation Radio
• Satellite: Sirius XM 225, online 826
• Boxscore: NFL Game Center
• Media notes: Steelers | Cowboys
THE KEY VARIABLE
The Steelers used a first-round draft pick on running back Najee Harris this year. They completely reworked their offensive line, with Chuks Okorafor the only returning player who made more than four starts back. And Okorafor is shifting from right to left tackle.
The team also jettisoned offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner in favor of Matt Canada. And it all was done after a mandate from team president Art Rooney II to pump up a running game that finished dead last in the NFL last season averaging 84.2 yards per game.
How's it looking so far?
"I would say I like the direction we’re going in," Rooney said this week. "We’ve got some work to do. We’ve got a whole preseason ahead of us here to really do that kind of work and make sure we’re ready for the season. These next few weeks are going to be important."
But we won't get to see a lot of it in this game. In addition to Roethlisberger, Okorafor, left guard Kevin Dotson and right tackle Zach Banner are not expected to play in this game, though new right guard Trai Turner, signed when David DeCastro was released, and rookie center Kendrick Green very well could see at least some action.
As for Harris? He wants to play as much as possible. How much Tomlin decides to use him remains to be seen.
"It's a gateway to get your feet wet and let the game slow down for me," Harris said. "I'm trying to play as much as I can in that game. I want to take as many game reps as possible -- good, bad, whatever -- and do whatever I can and go into the film room, break down film, and keep working."
But backups Benny Snell, who missed the past two days of practice with an undisclosed injury, Jaylen Samuels, who returned Tuesday, and Anthony McFarland, who was missing Tuesday, are all iffy to play.
That could leave a lot of reps for Harris, veteran backup Kalen Ballage, signed in the offseason, and Tony Brooks-James, a Steelers camp retread who re-signed Tuesday. Or not.
While Harris would like as much work as possible, he also seemed to tweak his right shoulder in Tuesday's practice, though he didn't miss any time after having trainers look at it.
"He’s a rookie," Tomlin said. "He needs the process of game preparation and then, ultimately, play. We’ve got our opportunities for him to do that. We’re going to make sure that he participates in all four of those processes. We’ll determine how much he plays, but the preparation process, the process of readying yourself to play, is something that I believe all those young guys need, regardless of their potential roles for us once the regular season starts.
"I just want to get them to as many stadiums and watch them prepare and watch them establish routines that make them comfortable, that maximize their ability in a game-like setting. So, I’m excited about watching him do that for the first time. I think he’s going to learn and grow from it, aside from the actual playing the game, just the process leading up to play. And like I said, we’ll determine potentially how much that is."
THE FIVE DATA POINTS
• The Steelers, Cowboys and Panthers were the only three teams in the NFL last season who had three wide receivers who had at least 800 receiving yards each.
• This will be the Steelers' first preseason game since Aug. 29, 2019 in Carolina, a 25-19 loss. Rudolph completed 7 of 11 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown in that game before giving way to Dobbs and then Devlin Hodges.
• The Steelers ranked 12th in the league in points scored last season, while Dallas was 17th after playing its final 11 games without quarterback Dak Prescott, who is not expected to play.
• The Steelers finished third in points allowed in 2020. Dallas was 28th.
• The Steelers are 3-3 all-time in the Hall of Fame Game, having last played here in 2015 when they lost to the Vikings, 14-3. The Cowboys also are 3-3 in this game, though this will be the fourth time for the Cowboys in the Hall of Fame game since 2010.
FIVE I WANT TO SEE
• Kendrick Green, center -- Green should play and play a lot. He might be the Steelers' most athletic lineman. I want to see how he gets to the second level. And no bad snaps. He's had a couple in camp that have either been bad or mishandled.
• Justin Layne, cornerback -- Layne has been passed on the depth chart by James Pierre. But he's not going away. He's had several pass breakups in the past few practices. If both he and Pierre turn into players, the Steelers' depth at the position isn't nearly as bad as some think.
• Kalen Ballage, running Back -- The veteran has shown some juice running against end-of-the-roster types. Can he do something with more varsity snaps? He should get some in this game. If he proves to be a viable backup, Samuels or Snell are in big trouble.
• Ulysees Gilbert, linebacker -- He was one of the stars of the preseason two years ago, then didn't have a preseason last year, which hurt. Speaking of hurt, he's been injured in each of his first two seasons. Gilbert said he has been doing back exercises to make sure that doesn't crop up again. And when Devin Bush went down last season, the Steelers clearly had a plan for Gilbert until he got hurt again. He's the top backup inside.
• Isaiahh Loudermilk, defensive end -- The Steelers surprisingly traded a future pick to get into the fifth round this year and selected Loudermilk. He looks the part. Can he play to that?
