How can Dwayne Haskins secure his spot on the Steelers' roster during the pre-season?

Former first-round NFL draft pick Dwayne Haskins has a big NFL pre-season ahead of him. That's because the 24-year-old quarterback is seeking to win a place on the Pittsburgh Steelers' roster and be the number two QB on the depth chart, behind Ben Roethlisberger.

After two disappointing seasons in Washington, where Haskins failed to live up to his pre-draft hype, the third-year QB needs to show the Steeers he’s worth keeping around for this season and beyond.

The 6' 4", 218 lbs quarterback, though, has his work cut out, as he has Steelers backup Mason Rudolph standing in his way. Rudolph has been in the Pittsburgh system since 2018, and has a leg up on Haskin for the backup QB roster spot.

Pittsburgh face the Dallas Cowboys in the Pro Football Hall of Fame game on Thursday, where Dwayne Haskins will get an opportunity to prove his doubters wrong on the gridiron.

So what does the young playmaker have to do to make the Steelers team this season?

Dwayne Haskins' path to the Steelers' roster

Success on the field

Yes, it's stating the obvious, but Dwayne Haskins really needs to perform on the field. Ever since he was drafted by Washington with the 15th overall pick in 2019, he has lived off the label of 'potential'.

Mike Tomlin and the Steelers front office aren’t going to keep a player on the roster, especially one at such a key position on simply 'potential'.

It all starts on Thursday for Haskins, as the team has already announced that he will close out the first half for the Steelers against the Cowboys. Mike Tomlin told the media in this regard:

“We made the decision today in anticipating that Dwayne will finish the first half, and Dobbs will finish the game,” Tomlin said on Wednesday. “We’re going to work the two-minute (offense) today in two sets, and those are the quarterbacks who could be in the game at those moments.

During his two seasons in Washington, Haskins played 16 games, passing for 2,804 yards, 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He also rushed for 147 yards and one TD.

Success off the field

Dwayne Haskins has made headlines for all the wrong reasons during his NFL career. The quarterback has had multiple off-the-field incidents that have tarnished his reputation in the league.

In Washington, Haskins was rumored to be lazy off the field, with his playbook studies and team workouts.

Last season, he had two separate instances where he violated the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols. The most high-profile one was when he attended his girlfriend’s birthday party without a mask. Washington fined him $40,000 and removed his team captaincy.

Haskins was involved in another incident with his wife this off-season; she reportedly assaulted him in Las Vegas in July. If the QB can perform on the field and stay out of unwanted headlines off the field, he could have a long and successful NFL career.