Dwayne Haskins Looks Impressive During Second Preseason Appearance

Dwayne Haskins took another step toward securing his spot as the Pittsburgh Steelers' No. 2 option at quarterback during what could be Ben Roethlisberger's final season.

The former first-round draft pick threw for 161 yards and a touchdown on 16 of 22 passing (72.7%) during the Steelers' 24-16 win against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday (August 13) night.

Haskins connected with Anthony Johnson on a 22-yard pass to cut the Steelers' deficit to two points, trailing 16-14 with 9:32 remaining in the third quarter.

Pittsburgh went on to score 10 more unanswered points, which included a second touchdown on the following drive -- led by Haskins -- to move ahead 21-16.

"I thought he was in command tonight," head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters after the game. "He did a great job communicating with people, going through his progressions."

Haskins looks to have a career resurgence after joining the Steelers last December.

The 24-year-old was cut by the Washington Football Team after being demoted for the second time during the 2020 season in December, 20 months after the franchise selected the former Ohio State standout at No. 15 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Haskins was benched for backup Taylor Heinicke during the fourth quarter of Washington's 20-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers after completing 14 of 28 passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns. The former first-round pick was stripped of his captaincy and fined $40,000 for violating COVID-19 protocol in December after photos leaked appearing to show the quarterback not wearing a mask at his girlfriend's birthday, which had more than 10 attendees.

"Definitely the hardest week of my life. I just want to bounce back and move forward and pray and get my life together," Haskins said after Washington's December loss to the Panthers via ESPN. "I can't really put into words how I'm feeling right now."

Haskins was previously benched earlier in the season leading up to Washington's Week 5 game against the Los Angeles Rams.

The former Ohio State standout signed with the Steelers in December and said he is looking to prove his love of football in 2021, playing behind veteran starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who praised the backup for having one of the "prettiest" throwing mechanics he's ever seen.

“I was just telling [new Steelers quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan] the other day that his release and throwing motion mechanics are some of the prettiest I have ever seen,” Roethlisberger said of Haskins during offseason workouts via TribLIVE. “I told him I wish I had that. I joked that he could throw it through a car wash, and it wouldn’t get wet.”