Florio and Simms see Steelers as a fit for Dwayne Haskins originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Dwayne Haskins is no longer a member of the Washington Football Team and, after clearing waivers on Tuesday, he's a free agent.
Despite a negative tenure in Washington fueled by a shaky performance and off-the-field problems, NBC Sports' Chris Simms believes this is not the end for the quarterback. Just 23 years old with potential, Simms feels the right situation could help Haskins turn his career around.
"Dwayne Haskins, you still got a chance here," Simms said. "It’s not over.”
But, what exactly is the right situation for the quarterback? One team Simms threw out when speaking with ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio was the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Hey Pittsburgh Steelers, what would it hurt to bring him in in the offseason?” Simms said.
The AFC North winner in 2020 has been a team connected to Haskins since the quarterback's name surfaced as a potential trade chip earlier in the season.
Though a trade never happened, Florio believes the franchise could be a good fit for the young passer.
“You got my attention when you mentioned the possibility of the Steelers for a couple of reasons," Florio said.
The first is the situation at the top, with Mike Tomlin being the head coach in Pittsburgh. In his 14 seasons in that position for the Steelers, Tomlin has led the team to success on the field. He's also been crucial in establishing a culture within the organization.
With a reputation for being able to work with different types of personalities and players in the locker room, many see Tomlin as a head coach that can connect with any player. Looking at Haskins, who has had his share of slip-ups early on, Florio feels learning under Tomlin would be great guidance for the quarterback.
“One of the points of praise for Mike Tomlin with inside football is he has that ability to get through to guys," Florio said. "Whatever it takes to get through to a guy and get him to perform, Tomlin knows how to handle those personalities and knows how to manage those personalities.”
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The other reason revolves around what Florio has seen on tape from Haskins. One of the perceived knocks of the quarterback's game coming out of college was his lack of mobility, something Florio noted stemmed from many thinking mobility only refers to the ability to run the football.
With Haskins, Florio recognized that the quarterback is mobile in a different way, maneuvering the pocket with a certain flexibility. It's something that reminded him of the current man under center in Pittsburgh.
“Some of the stuff we saw him doing behind the line of scrimmage, it’s kind of like Big Ben stuff,” Florio said. “Moving around, buying time, moving laterally, waiting for a guy to get open, getting rid of the football. Having that awareness, that presence, that ability to extend plays without taking off and running the ball.”
By bringing in Haskins, who has a big build and arm to match these traits that Florio also sees in Roethlisberger, he believes that the Steelers may be able to continue its offensive philosophy for years to come.
Simms would agree that those factors could make Haskins and the Steelers a match, but for him, it's crucial that the quarterback isn't asked to do too much too soon. He needs to enter a situation where he can take a back seat and learn before competing for the starting job once again.
“Again, it’s not going to be something where you bring him to go ‘okay we need him as a backup right now,'" Simms said. "No you bring him in to be, ‘hey he’s a third-stringer that we think maybe by the end of the 2021 season could be the backup and maybe by 2022 or 2023 can be our starting quarterback.”
As of now, Pittsburgh's plan at quarterback for the future is relatively unknown. Roethlisberger believes he can play at least another season but the end of his long career is most likely approaching. In Florio's mind, there also isn't a safe bet as to where their next quarterback should come from.
Haskins' time in Washington is proof that drafting a quarterback in the first round doesn't always give a team a positive return on investment. So rather than doing that, Florio and Simms both believe that bringing in Haskins is a cheap, low-risk option for the future.
“If you can get this guy for peanuts and you can get him into your building and you can develop him to be the successor to Ben Roethlisberger, who they may need as soon as next year based upon how Roethlisberger has looked this year, you may be onto something there," Florio said.
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