Dwayne Haskins expected to make Steelers' initial 53-man roster

Most of today’s news will skew negative, with cut-down day inducing a trove of firings across the NFL. On the flip-side, however, there are positive stories about players earning roster spots.

One of those resides in Pittsburgh, where Dwayne Haskins has earned a job out of training camp.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the former first-rounder is expected to make the initial 53-man roster with the Steelers, per sources informed of the situation.

The No. 15 overall pick in 2019, Haskins was cut by Washington after playing in just 16 games over a year-and-a-half. The swift exit from D.C. was highlighted by struggles both on and off the field.

In Pittsburgh, coach Mike Tomlin has preached patience with Haskins. The coach noted early after signing Haskins that he wanted the young QB to focus first and foremost on the off-field aspect of being a professional before worrying about playing.

By all accounts, Haskins has improved in all areas. Coaches have raved about his approach to film study, and his play on the field has improved. The box scores might not be sterling, but Haskins has improved reading the field, and his howitzer of an arm remains strong. If he can smooth out the inconsistent errors, he could become an interesting player once again.

For now, he’ll sit and learn behind Ben Roethlisberger. Mason Rudolph, who just signed a contract extension this offseason, is expected to be the backup, even as Haskins pushed him for the No. 2 job this offseason. A year watching Big Ben prepare and learning from the Steelers coaching staff could help revamp Haskins’ stock in 2022.

Unless the Steelers are making a surprise decision to keep four QBs on the roster, Haskins winning a job indicates veteran Joshua Dobbs is the odd man out, at least for now.

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