Tag Archives: Dwayne Haskins

The Pros and Cons of the Steelers Re-signing Aaron Rodgers in 2026

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Aaron Rodgers has yet to decide if he wants to play in 2026, but if are Mike McCarthy, Omar Khan and Art Rooney II right to welcome him back?

The Pittsburgh Steelers have no long-term answer at quarterback and haven’t since Ben Roethlisberger threw out his arm in 2019.

  • That’s not for lack of trying.

They’ve attempted quarterback-reclamation projects, signing not one but three former first-round picks. Two flamed out and Dwayne Haskins, God rest his soul, passed way. They’ve tried investing a first-round pick and, if nothing else, proved Pittsburgh can embrace the “fail fast principle” when warranted.

They’ve also tried what Jim Wexell termed as the Bobby Layne approach, signing an aging franchise QB. Twice. Results have been a bit better, but neither veteran has improved the Steelers post-season prospects.

With that backstory in mind, we look at the Pros and Cons of resigning Aaron Rodgers.

Aaron Rodgers, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Steelers vs Dolphins, Steelers vs Dolphins MNF

Aaron Rodgers flicks it as Minkah Fitzpatrick can only watch. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Capsule Profile of Aaron Rodgers’ Career with the Steelers

IF Pittsburgh Magazine did a “Person of the Year” award for the city of Pittsburgh then Aaron Rodgers would have won hands down. He dominated Steelers storylines for months – even before he made his covert stop at the South Side in April.

When he signed in June, the narrative on the off season shifted from “the franchise is in intentional tank” mode to “We’re All In!”

Neither proved to be true, but Rodgers did mesh well with the team, and proceeded to start 16 of 17 games for the Steelers in the regular season. His record was 10-6, he threw498 passes for 327 completions on 498 attempts, for 3322 yards with 24 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

He was 0-1 in the playoffs, where he barely completed 50% of his passes and had 2 defensive scores.

The Case for the Steelers Resigning Aaron Rodgers in 2026

The case for the Steelers resigning Aaron Rodgers in 2026 proceeds from the speicifc to the general.

Since Ben Roethlisberger retired, Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, Justin Fields, Kyle Allen (you forgot about him, didn’t you?), Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers have all thrown passes for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Everyone but Allen has started multiple games for the franchise.

Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Kenny Pickett, Steelers 2022 quarterback competition

Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph. Photo Credit: Brandon Sloter / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images and The Athletic.)

Aaron Rodgers gave the Steelers their best quarterbacking they’ve enjoyed since Roethlisberger retired. And its not even close.

Yes, you can quibble as Joe Starkey did that Russell Wilson had a better passer rating by a hair. Yeah, and Walter Abercrombie had a better career rushing average then Jerome Bettis….

Seriously, the reason why the Steelers closed the season strong in 2025 while sputtering in 2024 was because Aaron Rodgers elevated his play and the team in ways that Wilson tried and failed to do.

Beyond that, there is also the inconvenient truth that, the Steelers long term answer at quarterback probably isn’t out there to be found in the 2026 off season. Even if he is out there in the draft or already on the roster in the form of Will Howard, Rodgers would serve as a mentor.

Then, there’s the question of cost. Assuming Rodgers is open to playing at the salary level he played at in 2025, the Steelers will never get that level of play at quarterback for that salary cap from another NFL veteran.

  • Finally, there’s the question of Aaron Rodgers and his relationship with Mike McCarthy.

The last time the Steelers had a new head coach, Twitter did not even exist and Facebook’s biggest competitor was probably “MySpace.” Mike Tomlin’s thumbprint is deeply engrained on the fabric of the franchise.

Mike McCarthy is going to do things differently. And even if those changes will be for the better, they’re bound to create tension. Having Aaron Rodgers in the locker room can ensure that that tension is directed constructively.

The Case Against the Steelers Resigning Aaron Rodgers in 2026

Going from general to specific, the case against the Steelers resigning Aaron Rodgers in 2026 starts with the fact that the team continues to kick the quarterback can down the road.

The Steelers have had at least three chances for a “clean” reset since Ben Roethlisberger’s injury in 2019, and each time they’ve focused on the here and now. How many more band aids can the franchise apply?

Aaron Rodgers safety, Khalil Mack, Aaron Rodgers, Steelers vs Chargers, Steelers vs Chargers SNF,

Khalil Mack sacks Aaron Rogers for a safety. Photo Credit: IMAGN Images, via Tribune-Review

And while Aaron Rodgers may have been a “good” quarterback and played “well” at times in 2025 there’s a harsh reality hiding behind some of those numbers: Rodgers struggled against defenses with elite pass rushes. Worse than struggling, he looked skittish, kinda like a 42 year old man who was rapidly tiring of getting hit by 250 to 300 pound 20 somethings.

Sure, the offensive line can mature and build on the improvements it showed during the course of 2025. But overall that’s not a tendency that will improve.

The Curtain’s Call on the Steelers and Aaron Rodgers in 2026

The ball is in Aaron Rodgers’ court. Art Rooney, Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy all say that Aaron Rodgers wants back.

  • When he was in New York, Rodgers said he’d be open to playing for McCarthy again.

By all accounts Rodgers liked the team and the city. Assuming Rodgers is willing to play for the same type of salary he played at in 2026 there’s every reason why the Steelers should and will welcome him back.

Regardless, Rodgers has to make a choice and he must do it before free agency. Neal Coolong has suggested that Rodgers may wait to see if Minnesota is interested – that’s his prerogative, but the Steelers cannot wait.

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Grading the Steelers 2018 Draft Class – Setting the Stage for Stagnation

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In homage to Chuck Noll’s principle that, “It takes 5 years to judge a draft class,” Steel Curtain Rising grades draft classes 5 years after they’re in the books. Alas, “work to do and bills to pay” prevented me from grading the 2019 and 2018 drafts on schedule.

Last week we graded the Steelers 2019 Draft Class (hint: this report card landed Kevin Colbert on restriction) and today we do the Steelers 2018 draft class.

But before we dive into the details, here’s fun fact on the Steelers 2018 Draft Class: 2 members played critical roles in upsets of Tom Brady.

Hum, that makes it seem like this is some sort of sleeper draft class. But is it….?

D.K. Metcalf, Terrell Edmunds, Steelers vs Seahawks

D.K. Metcalf burns Terrell Edmunds for a touchdown. Photo Credit: Yahoo.com

First Round – Terrell Edmunds, The Optical Illusion

Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin shocked everyone by drafting Terrell Edmunds in the first round. Steel City Insider’s Jim Wexell had projected Terrell Edmunds as a 5th rounder.

Yet, if you’d left for Mars after the draft, returned in 2023 and saw that Edmunds had started 75 of 84 games and logged 93.8% of the Steelers defensive snaps, you’d be impressed. And if I told you, “…And his best game came when Edmunds led a short-handed Steelers secondary in an upset of Tom Brady and Tampa Bay,” you’d have thought, “Wow! Colbert got a steal with Edmunds!”

  • But you’d only be proving the power of optical illusions.

Terrell Edmunds provided stability for the Steelers at strong safety, but he only played his fifth year in Pittsburgh because in the spring of ’22 no one wanted him in free agency. Steelers coaches liked him, the front office, not so much. So Edmunds went to Philadelphia in ‘23, got traded to Tennessee, signed with Jacksonville in ‘24, got cut in August and returned to Pittsburgh in September.

Terrell Edmunds’ Steelers encore lasted just 5 games.

It is almost like, after pausing and then looking at him again from a different angle, the coaches realized they were seeing an optical illusion. Grade: Disappointment

steelers, draft, grades, evaluations, bust, Kevin Colbert

True NFL Draft grades only come with years of hindsight

Second Round – James Washington, The Farm Boy Flasher

On the heels of unloading Martavis Bryant, turning Sammie Coates loose AND tiring of Antonio Brown’s antics, the Steeler opted to inject talent with character in their wide receiver room by drafting James Washington. By all accounts, James Washington, who was born and raised on a farm, was a stand up guy, a positive presence in the locker room guy with strong character.

Unfortunately, all of those attributes never translated into Washington becoming a quality wide receiver. Washington may never have flashed greatness, but there were times he flashed “goodness” (think the pass he took to the house from Devlin Hodges in the 2019 comeback win over the Bengals.)

But he never sustained those flashes of “goodness.” One reason was that he never established a rapport with Ben Roethlisberger. Ironically, it was Washington who caught Roethlisberger’s last touchdown pass. Grade:  Disappointment

James Washington, Charvarius Ward, Steelers vs Chiefs, Ben Roethlisberger's Last Game

James Washington makes a combat catch against Charvarius Ward. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Third Round – Mason Rudolph, The Survivor

The Steelers drafted Mason Rudolph as a “compromise pick.” He spent his first year taking virtual reality snaps as a 3rd stringer. Six quarters into his second year, Mason Rudolph became the starter.

Rudolph lost his first start, won his second, got brutally concussed in his third, came back and won 3 straight games, suffered a deadly assault attempt by Myles Garrett, got benched, watched the Duck Hodges phenomenon, replaced Hodges against the Jets, started leading a rally and then got hurt.

Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Kenny Pickett, Steelers 2022 quarterback competition

Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph. Photo Credit: Brandon Sloter / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images and The Athletic.)

He then watched as the Steelers brought in Dwayne Haskins, Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett while remaining buried depth chart as QB No. 3, before saving Christmas and Pittsburgh’s 2023 season with 3 straight wins.

Mason Rudolph is a survivor. Grade: Quality Value Pickup

Third Round – Chukwuma Okorafor, The Deceiver

Chuks Okorafor was the last offensive lineman drafted of the Mike Munchak era. He started a game as a rookie against Von Miller and another in his second year against Aaron Donald, looking good in both. He became a full-time starter in 2020 and 2021 and did well enough to earn a 2nd contract.

However, he was benched for Broderick Jones midway through 2023 and the move started the team’s offensive turnaround. Not a bad player or pick, but you expect more from a third rounder. Grade: Serviceable Pickup

Fifth Round – Marcus Allen, The Other Marcus Allen

The Steelers drafted Marcus Allen as a safety, and he only appeared in 3 games during his first two years. They moved him to inside linebacker in 2020, where he struggled due to his size, but was forced into starting duty due to injuries. Marcus Allen played two more years in Pittsburgh, mainly on special teams, and then was out of the league. Grade: Disappointment

Fifth Round – Jaylen Samuels, The One Game Wonder

Perhaps it’s a little unfair to label 2018’s 5th round pick Jaylen Samuels a One Game Wonder, but  19 carry 142 yard explosion during his rookie year in the Steelers December 2018 upset of the Patriots was incredible. Unfortunately, that game and his 53-yard effort a week later in New Orleans amount to 41% of his career rushing total.

In 2019 and 2020, Jaylen Samuels’ role evolved into more of an H Back. He had his moments and spring of 2021 the late, great Craig Wolfley suggested that Samuels might be the answer the Steelers were seeking at running back. But he wasn’t. The Steelers cut him in 2021. He played a few games for the Texans in late 2021 and was done. Grade: Quality Valuable Pickup

Seventh Round – Josuha Fraizer, First Karl Dunbar Pick

Joshua Frazier had been coached at Alabama by Steelers coach Karl Dunbar but got cut in training camp and never spent time on an NFL roster or practice squad.

Overall Grade for the 2018 Draft Class

The Steelers 2018 Draft Class is an interesting one. At the time, Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin were seen as sticking to their board as opposed to reaching for need. That’s generally a smart strategy, but for it to work must get your board right.

And the Steelers didn’t get their board right in 2018 – three of their first four picks were Disappointments. All of them had to be replaced, and the Steelers clearly see Rudolph as a backup.

  • Not to mention that they passed on Lamar Jackson to take Terrell Edmunds.

And in that light, the Steelers 2018 Draft Class set the stage for what’s come since, a team that’s keeping its head above water but failing to make progress towards a championship. Grade: C

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Justin Fields: A “Bridge Quarterback” for the Steelers? Or Something More?

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The quarterback reclamation project is to football is the roommate switch was to Seinfeld:

  • Everyone wants to do it, but it’s nearly impossible to pull off.

The Steelers have a rich, if uncelebrated, quarterback reclamation history. Chuck Noll tried with David Woodley and Todd Blackledge without success. In Tommy Maddox and Charlie Batch, Bill Cowher and Kevin Colbert fared a bit better, but with Kent Graham not so much.

Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin took flyers on Zach Mettenberger, Paxton Lynch and Dwayne Haskins to no avail.

Last year, Omar Khan and Tomlin took another flyer on Justin Fields and now must decide whether they want try to extend his stay in Pittsburgh.

Justin Fields, Steelers vs Radiers

Justin Fields rushes for a touchdown in the 2nd quarter. Photo Credit: AP via Tribune-Review

Capsule Profile of Justin Fields’ Career with the Steelers

Justin Fields arrived in Pittsburgh on March 16th 2025 capping off a remarkable 4-day stretch that saw the Steelers sign Russell Wilson, let Mason Rudolph leave for Tennessee and send Kenny Pickett to the Eagles. While Mike Tomlin promised an open competition, everyone knew that Fields was penciled in at QB No. 2.

However, a calf injury to Russell Wilson on the first day at St. Vincents opened the door for Fields to get extensive work with the first team. He started the first preseason game, but took a back seat to Wilson for the second two, and was set to enter the season as Wilson’s back up.

Then Wilson aggravated his calf again, so Fields began the season as the Steelers starting quarterback. Fields won his first 3 starts, lost his next two before rebounding to win his 6th, bringing his mark as a starter to 4-2.

Fields’ role as a change-up quarterback never evolved as he ran 7 times and threw twice after his benching. He saw action in the wins over Baltimore, Washington and Cincinnati and in losses to Cleveland and Philadelphia as well as the playoff ridiculing vs the Ravens disaster.

The Case for the Steelers Resigning Justin Fields

Sam Darnold. Baker Mayfield, Geno Smith and, to go back a generation, Drew Brees. These are all quarterbacks that needed more time to develop than the teams that drafted them were willing to give them. (Side question: Who exactly in Cleveland had the bright idea to push Baker Mayfield out?)

  • Justin Fields played the best football of his career in Pittsburgh.

He raised his pass completion percentage, reduced his interceptions, evaded sacks and improved his passer rating compared to what he’d done in Chicago. And he didn’t exactly have a world-class group of receivers to target, nor did he benefit from a strong offensive line, neither did he have an effective running game.

Fields proved himself to be a dynamic threat, running for as many touchdowns as he threw for. Arthur Smith favors him over Russell Wilson. Fields is only 26. Although Jalen Hurts Super Bowl MVP performance might force Pittsburgh to pay a little more, he can and should still be resigned at a reasonable, “Prove It” contract.

Finally, Justin Fields managed his benching with a maturity beyond his years (contrast that with Kenny Picket….)

At a minimum, Justin Fields should be a serviceable “bridge quarterback” for the Steelers with a chance to be much, much more.

The Case Against the Steelers Resigning Justin Fields

4-2 sounds good and in the NFL is certainly nothing to sneeze at.

But let’s be realistic: Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith kept the training wheels on for Fields. Sure, he only threw one pick, but that’s because he was bending over backwards to play it safe. Case in point, he averaged below 200 yards passing per game.

Justin Fields, Justin Fields Bad Snap, Steelers vs Colts

Justin Fields is sacked after an errant 4th quarter snap. Photo Credit: CBS47 and KSEE24

Sure, Fields can improve and win. But even with the right weapons around him, is he ever going to be a quarterback who can develop beyond the 8, 9 or 10 wins and then one-and-done in the playoffs bubble? His six fumbles and abortive 7 yard run when he needed 8 against the Ravens suggests he lacks basic instincts for the game.

  • As the 2024 playoffs proved, the age of mobile quarterbacks has arrived.

But in that light, the base-case scenario is that Justin Fields develops into the next Jalen Hurts. The more realistic projection sees him becoming the next Kordell Stewart.

Do the Steelers really want to go down that road again?

Curtain’s Call on the Steelers and Justin Fields

This Curtain’s Call is a mirror image of Russell Wilson’s – the Steelers decision on Justin Fields will tell us as much about how they see themselves as it does how they see Justin Fields.

If the Steelers really think they have the players on the roster now to bag Lombardi Number 7 in 2025 or 2026, then they should sign Russell Wilson (provided his contract demands are reasonable.) If their analysis of their own roster is a bit more sober, then Justin Fields must be their man.

In the short term, Fields certainly has a lower floor than Wilson, but there’s a chance that he has a higher ceiling than Wilson in the longer term.

 

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Training Camp Begins – So Are the Steelers Really in “Win Now” Mode?

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Steelers training camps is finally here. The excitement emanating out of St. Vincents is palpable.

And for good reason. Omar Khan authored another aggressive if unusual off season, which led to the draft… followed by 2 months of rumors, stories and scenarios about a Brandon Aiyuk trade that hasn’t and likely never will materialize.

  • In other words, finally something that matters is happening again.

Now that the Steelers have arrived in Latrobe and are practicing again, albeit without pads so far, let’s challenge one of the key narratives that has guided this off season.

Troy Polamalu, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Steelers, St. Vincents

Two safeties @ St. Vincent’s. Photo Credit: Steelers.com

Namely, that the Steelers are in “Win Now” mode.

“The “Khan Artist” Revisited

One year ago today, Omar Khan has almost achieved cult hero status in Steelers Nation. After watching his wheeling and dealing during the 2023 NFL Draft, Mike Tomlin himself dubbed him “The Khan Artist.”

The praise was well earned. Khan had taken a failing 2nd round pick and transformed him into the 32 pick of 2023, who turned out to be none other than Joey Porter Jr. He traded up to get Broderick Jones, and made more moves to ensure the Steelers still made 4 picks out of the top 100 players.

And this came after one of the more aggressive free agency efforts in franchise history.

A year later, Khan looks to be sticking to the script for his encore. Patrick Queen, DeShon Elliott, and Donte Jackson are in, Diontae Johnson, Mason Cole and Chucks Okorafor are out. The Steelers might have turned in a solid effort in the playoffs against the Bills, but Khan is anything but complacent.

  • But some estimates, the Steelers will have turned over nearly 1/3 of their roster by the time opening day arrives.

Oh, and did we mention the Steelers completely gutted and flipped their quarterback room for the first time since the 1950s?

All of this came on the heels of Art Rooney II’s off season opening declaration that the playoff win drought must end. So it sure seems that the Steelers are all in on winning in 2024.

But appearances can deceive.

Sticking to the Steelers Way

As argued here earlier in the off season, the Steelers Way remains alive and well. No, they’ve never done an end-to-end house cleaning of their quarterback room the way they’ve did in February.

But as explained at the time, the Steelers have a long-standing tradition of bringing in high-profile quarterbacks to supplement or challenge shaky starters.

Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers

Russell Wilson’s first Steelers press conference. Photo Credit: Post-Gazette.com

You can read about it here, but in a nutshell Russell Wilson arrived in Pittsburgh following in the footsteps of David Woodley, Tommy Maddox and Dwayne Haskins, among others. Kenny Pickett was the independent variable, and he’s holding a clipboard down the Turnpike for a reason.

The Steelers other moves, such as moving on from failing starters and making an occasional splash free agent signing were as aggressive as they were precedence (Look up Kevin Greene Jerrol Williams if you’re curious.)

You’ll find that much the same is true about the rest of the off season moves if you take a step back from all of the click-driven hype.

  • The most telling piece of the off season lies in what the Steelers didn’t do.

After the Diontae Johnson-Donte Jackson trade the Steelers didn’t make a major move at wide receiver. Sure, they did restructure Alex Highsmith’s contract showing that a potential deal might have in the works, but they never pulled the trigger.

And when that deal failed to materialize, the Steelers didn’t reach for a wide receiver in the 2024 NFL Draft. Nor did the Steelers hop around from round to round during the draft. Instead they let the draft come to them.

  • The Khan Artist followed the Kevin Colbert’s playbook.

In the process, the Steelers continued doing what they’ve done for the last year: Adding “foundational players” and preserving draft capital. This is the exact opposite of an “All in on Winning Now Philosophy.”

  • Now, that doesn’t mean that the Steelers can’t win now.

They can, provided some combination of Calvin Austin, Van Jefferson and/or Pat Freiermuth makes enough of an impact to keep secondiares from smothering George Pickens.

Can they? Right now on the fields of St. Vincents the Steelers are about to start answering that question. Let’s roll Steelers Nation.

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Rumors of the Death of the “Steelers Way” Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

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Sometimes things change fast on the South Side. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are in Pittsburgh, while Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph and Kenny Pickett are in Buffalo, Tennessee and Philadelphia.

In the blink of an eye, Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin have remade the Steelers quarterback room in Nietzschean fashion.

SteelersNOW’s Alan Saunders proclaimed, “These are not your Father’s Pittsburgh Steelers.” On Steel City Insider, Jim Wexell looked back to the Buddy Parker era – the last time the Steelers completely remade the quarterback room year-on and year-out, and reminded us that these might be your grandfather’s Pittsburgh Steelers.

More than one commentator has said that these changes prove that the Steelers have fundamentally changed the way they work.

It may feel that way.

But reports of the death of “The Steelers Way” are greatly exaggerated. Let’s explore why.

Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers

Russell Wilson’s first Steelers press conference. Photo Credit: Post-Gazette.com

Yes, This IS a Big Change

Let’s embrace the obvious. The Steelers QB depth chart now reads:
1. Russell Wilson
2. Justin Fields
3. TBD

Precisely NO ONE saw this coming. No one.

Even coming out of the NFL combine the safe money was on Kenny Pickett’s “competition” being Ryan Tannehill. Not only did the Steelers reel in two of the bigger fish in the market, they moved on from Kenny Pickett faster than they’ve moved on from any first round draft pick since Huey Richardson in 1992.

  • For a franchise steeped in stability, that’s a lot of change.

But if you look at consider the moves that Omar Khan has made in the larger context of Steelers history, you’ll find plenty of precedent.

The Myth of Steelers Standing Pat @ Quarterback

If you asked GenAI or some other bot to neatly summarize modern era Steelers quarterback history you could easily get an answer like this:

The Steelers drafted Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw in 1970. Despite seeing a series of bad, average and “good” quarterbacks follow Bradshaw, the Pittsburgh Steelers move to get another franchise quarterback until drafting Ben Roethlisberger in 2004.

  • Sounds about right, doesn’t it? Perfect for our world of Twitterized communication. Except its wrong.

Not drafting Dan Marino was a grave mistake. The Steelers also could have tried to get Steve Young’s rights in the 1984 Supplemental Draft and would have been better off with Brett Favre instead of Huey Richardson in 1991.

But after missing on Marino, those basically the Steelers only two chances to draft a franchise quarterback until 2001 when they took Casey Hampton instead of Drew Brees.

  • Meanwhile, Chuck Noll, Tom Donahoe and Kevin Colbert did exactly as Omar Khan has done this past spring.

Despite having invested a first round draft pick in Mark Malone, Chuck Noll traded a third round pick for David Woodley. After dealing Malone for an 8th round pick, Noll traded a 4th to Kansas City to bring Todd Blackledge to Pittsburgh.

Bubby Brister, Chuck Noll, Bubby Brister super tecmo bowl raiting, Steelers 1988

Chuck Noll and Bubby Brister. Photo Credit: Mike Powell, Getty Images

Bubby Brister beat out Blackledge for the starting role in 1988. A year later Brister and 1989 Steelers “shocked the world” by upsetting the Houston Oilers in the playoffs, finishing a bad snap and a dropped pass away from a trip to the AFC Championship.

Yet, Chuck Noll thought that Neil O’Donnell was a first round talent and would have drafted him there in 1990 had Bill Nunn and Dick Haley not assured him O’Donnell would be there in the 3rd.

Get that? The franchise had a 2-year starter at QB who’d just won the franchise’s first playoff game in 5 years, and yet Noll was ready to take another quarterback in the first round.

O’Donnell would of course eventually beat Brister for the starting job, and led the 1994 Steelers to AFC Championship game. Pittsburgh lost in a stunning upset, but people forget O’Donnell broke a few AFC Championship passing records on that dreary day.

  • So what did Tom Donahoe do?

He drafted Kordell Stewart in the 2nd round of the 1995 NFL Draft. Kordell Stewart saw his ups and downs as Steelers quarterback, leading Kevin Colbert to sign Kent Graham to compete with him.

Kordell Stewart, Steelers vs Raiders

Kordell shrugs off injury to lead 2nd half rally. Photo Credit: Getty Images via Twitter

Stewart lost but ultimately re-gained the starting role for the 2000 Steelers leading them to a 9-7 record. Yet, Kevin Colbert still took a flyer on XFL “star” Tommy Maddox. Stewart was voted MVP of the 2001 Steelers and appeared to have finally turned a corner. That didn’t stop Colbert for signing Charlie Batch when the Lions surprisingly cut him in the spring of 2002.

  • The Steelers have been criticized for not having a coherent succession plan for Ben Roethlisberger.

No real argument there. Anyone think that no one on the South Side regrets taking Terrell Edmunds over Lamar Jackson?

But along the way the Steelers did take flyers on Zach Mettenberger, Paxton Lynch and Dwayne Haskins, one former part time starter and two former first round picks.

What IS Different

As you can see, Terry Bradshaw began his “Life’s work” the Steelers actively tried to improve at quarterback. Sometimes this has taken the form of (largely unsuccessful) quarterback reclamation projects.

At other times they’ve invested premium draft picks in quarterbacks despite having an incumbent starter – starters who’d been more successful than Kenny Pickett.

Omar Khan, Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan

Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan, Photo Credit: Nola.com

In contrast, Omar Khan has brought an aging veteran in at the veteran minimum and given up a conditional 6th round draft pick to bring in 2021’s 11th overall pick to Pittsburgh on his rookie contract.

Compared to moves to bring Woodley, Blackledge, O’Donnell and Stewart to Pittsburgh, Khan is downright conservative compared to his predecessors.

  • The critical difference or the “independent variable” if you will is Kenny Pickett.

To be sure, the arrivals of these new quarterbacks to Pittsburgh didn’t spawn Cumbia-like moments at St. Vincents. But all of the signal callers in question handled the prospect of competition with far more professionalism and maturity than did Kenny Pickett.

Which is why he’s in Philadelphia facing at least two years of clipboard holding.

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Definition of “At a Crossroads” The Steelers Mason Rudolph and Free Agency

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What difference does 365 days make? For Mason Rudolph, everything.

Last year when Mason Rudolph reached free agency, I debated over whether it was worth the time to do a free agent profile on him or not. Omar Khan’s comment about “keeping the door open for Mason” nudged the scales in his favor.

  • But felt like an academic exercise.

But of course Mason Rudolph returned to Pittsburgh. He authored another strong preseason. Yet he remained nothing more than a clipboard holder until, wait for it, the eve of Christmas Eve when Rudolph began leading the franchise to the playoffs.

Now Mason Rudolph is a free agent again, and this time he’s the one holding… well at least some of the cards. Let’s take a look at how this could play out.

Mason Rudolph, Steelers vs Dolphins,

Mason Rudolph launches a 45 yard touchdown to Diontae Johnson. Photo Credit: Barry Reeger, PennLive

Capsule Profile of Mason Rudolph’s Career with the Steelers

The Steelers and Mason Rudolph have reached a cross roads. And they took a unique route to get here. So instead of focusing on the nuts and bolts of Mason Rudolph’s journey with the Pittsburgh Steelers, we’ll instead focus on how that journey started.

Kevin Colbert, Mike Tomlin, Steelers 2022 Draft Class, Kevin Colbert last draft

Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin at their final press conference. Photo Credit: Steelers.com

Early in the 2018 off season Steel City Insider’s Jim Wexell was working into his pre-draft profiles and devoted some time to Oklahoma’s Mason Rudolph, mentioning that Tomlin and Colbert had shown real interest.

In the comment’s section a reader shared a picture noting “Went to the osu game at Heinz Field. Colbert was never more than 5 feet away from him entire pregame.”

Yet, when the 2018 NFL Draft came the Steelers passed on Lamar Jackson and took Terrell Edmunds in the first round and then picked James Washington in the 2nd round (ouch!). But Kevin Colbert also robbed er um traded Martavis Bryant to the Raiders for a third round pick. And with that extra pic, the Steelers took Mason Rudolph.

Then two interesting factoid’s leaked: 1. The Steelers had a first round grade on Rudolph; 2. Rudolph was described as a “compromise pick.”

While Steel Curtain Rising has no access to sources on the South Side, the translation of the above into simple English is this: Kevin Colbert was Mason Rudolph’s champion.

  • If this is true then Rudolph’s career arc with the Steelers becomes easier to understand.
Mason Rudolph, Joshua Dobbs, Steelers developing quarterbacks

Mason Rudoph and Joshua Dobbs square off @ St. Vincents. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

It easier to see why Mason Rudolph became the first quarterback of the Tomlin era to get benched for performance. The same can be said for Tomlin’s decision to bring back Joshua Dobbs, sign Dwayne Haskins, Mitch Trubisky and draft Kenny Pickett. Likewise, Tomlin’s decision to look past Rudolph’s strong performances during the 2022 and 2023 preseasons take on a different light.

  • That doesn’t necessarily mean that Tomlin mishandled Rudolph’s development.

In a non-football context you’d say, “the business drivers” of each of those decisions were strong. And in both 2022 and 2023, Rudolph only had one year remaining on his contract. Pickett and Trubisky had multiple years so it made perfect sense to focus precious practice and preseason snaps on that duo.

Now Mason Rudolph’s contract is about to expire. Mike Tomlin, Omar Khan and Art Rooney II all say they want him back.

But just how badly do they want him?

The Case for the Steelers Resigning Mason Rudolph

The Tomlin era has seen the Golden Age of Steelers third string quarterbacks. So when Rudolph resigned last spring, he seemed destined to get a start. He got four, including one in the playoffs.

  • And Mason Rudolph was undisputed best quarterback on the roster.

The Steelers fielded a different, more dynamic offense with number 2 at the helm. George Pickens exploded. Diontae Johnson did his damage. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren had some of their best games. The defense, freed from the obligation of carrying the team, also played some of its best ball despite being critically short-handed.

The only question is, what is Omar Khan waiting for?

The Case Against the Steelers Resigning Mason Rudolph

Yes, Mason Rudolph looked good. He elevated the team. Everything about his four game audition, complete with the way he maintained his poise after the interception vs Buffalo says the Steelers would be insane to let him walk.

Yet, before cutting a check, the Steelers brass would be wise to remember a few names: Brock Osweiler, Matt Flynn, Rob Johnson and Scott Mitchell.

These are four NFL quarterbacks who parlayed varied amounts of success in a limited number of starts into mammoth free agent contracts to be starters elsewhere.

  • For those four, the grass truly was greener on the other side.

But none of these quarterbacks proved be worthy of their fortune, fame or salary cap space for the teams that signed them.

The only thing worse for the Steelers than losing Mason Rudolph would winning a bidding war to keep him. Mason Rudolph has shown he’s worth of an NFL starter’s contract, but light years away from earning a franchise quarterback deal.

Curtain’s Call on the Steelers and Mason Rudolph

Everyone wants Rudolph back and Rudolph seems open to it.

  • But there are three “but’s” at work here.
Mason Rudolph, Kenny Pickett, Steelers 2022 Training Camp, Steelers St. Vincents 2022

Mason Rudolph and Kenny Pickett in 2022 at St. Vincents. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

On the numbers side, you can take it at face value that the Steelers want to keep Rudolph in Pittsburgh. But you can also be sure that the Steelers have a number in mind and won’t go much beyond that (see Cam Sutton last spring.)

Then there’s a trust issue. Mike Tomlin has confirmed that Kenny Pickett will arrive at St. Vincents as the number 1 quarterback but assures that “He’ll have competition.” And Tomlin sounded serious. But he also sounded great to Melvin Ingram, Morgan Burnett and LeGarrette Blount who came to Pittsburgh as free agents and left disgruntled feeling that Tomlin promised them something he didn’t deliver.

  • This phenomenon isn’t limited to outsiders. Just ask James Harrison.

Finally, there’s Russell Wilson. The conventional wisdom has been that the Steelers would bring Mason Rudolph back to Pittsburgh to provide “competition” and if they couldn’t, they’d fall back to a veteran free agent such as Ryan Tannehill or Jacoby Brissett. But Russell Wilson has already visited the Steel City and talked with the Steelers brass.

  • Maybe this Russell Wilson flirtation is Omar Khan and company pressuring Rudolph to sign…
  • …but maybe it’s a signal that Tomlin doesn’t see Rudolph as a long-term starter and never will.

Mason Rudolph is good guy to have in the locker room. His teammates love him. He takes his preparation seriously. He puts the team first. He will elevate any quarterback room he joins.

In an ideal world for the Steelers, Rudolph would elevate the quarterback room in Pittsburgh. But if Russell Wilson’s visit to the Steelers is anything more than a “kick the tire” due diligence exercise, then that’s a clear signal that in Rudolph’s ideal world his NFL career will continue elsewhere.

Keep up with Steelers Free Agency. Click here for all of Steelers 2024 coverage.

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Steelers Preseason Takeaway: Pickett Starts Strong. DAZN’s NFL GamePass? Not so Much

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The Pittsburgh Steelers opened their 2023 preseason with a bang, beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-17 in the 94 degree at Raymond James Stadium. While the proverbial caution of “…its only preseason” is a wise one – Jarvis Jones and Huey Richardson had outstanding preseason debuts – the Steelers checked several boxes from their “need to improve” list including:

  • Kenny Pickett made his reads quickly, threw the ball decisively and worked the middle of the field
  • George Pickens looked like a man racing against boys on his touchdown
  • Calvin Austin flashed “beep-beep” speed in burning a corner to a crisp on his touchdown
  • Anthony McFarland staked a strong claim to the number three running backs spot

The Steelers looked good in their preseason debut.

Alas the same cannot be said for DAZN’s debut with NFL GamePass International. Earlier this year the NFL announced a 10 year partnership to distribution NFL GamePass International via the international sports streaming site DAZN.

On The Athletic the news was greeted with jeers from fans in Canada and other countries who’d already experienced trying to watch NFL games via DAZN.

  • Nonetheless, I let my NFL GamePass renew and hoped for the best.

Full Disclosure: I did not watch much of the live stream as the Steelers were facing off against the Buccaneers. I had a medical test in the early evening, had to run some errands on the way home, and was only briefly able to log into the site with my new password during the game.

And to be 100% fair to DAZN the image quality (via Google Chrome, on my PC) appeared to be OK. There may have been an issue of lag between the video and the audio, but to be fair to DAZN, I can’t be sure if I’d left Steelers Nation Radio on via another window.

Which was a good omen, as I’d planned to watch it on Saturday using the “Game in 40” option. (Yes, I know that is a bit hypocritical of a blogger who has sung the praises of preseason repeatedly. Fair enough. I’ve also written that the NFL should reduce the number of TV timeouts so that preseason games only take between 2 and 2 and a half hours.)

Kenny Pickett, Steelers vs Buccaneers 2023 preseason

Kenny Pickett started the ’23 preseason strong. Photo Credit: AP, via Tribune-Review

DAZN’s NFL GamePass “Game in 40” = A Failure

However the quality of DAZN’s “The Game in 40” was atrocious.

“The Game in 40” was never a great way to watch a game because you lose a feel for the tone and tenor of events, but at least in previous years the viewing experience was pretty seamless.

DANZ’s “Game in 40” was anything but seamless. The image quality was terrible. During the middle of a play runners would begin to move in slow motion. Then you’d suffer a momentary stop. A second later things would resume, but you’d lose at least a second of action. On the next play the same sequence would repeat itself.

During my first attempt to watch DANZ’s “The Game in 40” I got pop ups advising me that, if quality wasn’t good, I should watch via an Ethernet and make sure no one else was streaming video. Well, I was already on an Ethernet, but my wife was watching videos via her cell.

So I waited again until she was in the shower. I tried again, putting all other Wifi devices on airplane mode. The quality of DANZ’s service was just as bad. By the end of Kenny Pickett’s touchdown to George Pickens it was clear that DANZ’s “Game in 40” was unwatchable.

Another friend here in Argentina had a good experience with DANZ’s NFL GamePass, but El Dr. de Acero also had a frustratingly piss-poor experience.

  • That’s a real shame.

Footage of scoring plays, key third down conversions and major highlights is easily available via Twitter, Steelers.com and YouTube. But as Chuck Noll oft reminded, you win football games by doing ordinary things extraordinarily.

Chuck Noll, Chuck Noll St. Vincents, Steelers practice no numbers

Chuck Noll’s Steelers practiced with no numbers. Photo Credit: Al Tielemans/Sports Illustrated

Now I’m not going to pretend to know enough to evaluate things like whether or not Kendrick Green and/or Broderick Jones “pad levels” were promising, but would like to get a chance to see how players who don’t make the highlight reels perform.

Watching preseason games end-to-end in the ‘90’s gave me the insight into under the radar players Lee Flowers and Carlos Emmons. On the flip side, during the ’95 preseason Bam Morris was signaling a sophomore slump (and then some). More recently, in August ’21 my take away was that both the hype generated by Dwayne Haskins performances as a backup and the disillusionment following his lone start were both exaggerated.

Sadly, we’ll never know whether I was right or wrong about Haskins, but I was only able to form an opinion in the first place by watching pre-season games end-to-end.

But with the DAZN’s sudden shifts to slow motion, to stops, to skipping a millisecond I might be able to see that someone blew up a run at the line of scrimmage, but I can’t really tell if it was Kwon Alexander, Nick Herbig, or Keeanu Benton who made the play.

Nor can I really tell if Darnell Washington or Elandon Roberts are really injecting physicality on both sides of the ball.

That’s a shame. Yet there still may be hope.

For better and worse I’ve seen times with Steelers preseason has been deceiving. Sometimes preseason flashes disappear in the pan. Other times the opposite happens. When Bill Cowher and Ben Roethlisberger shared the dais after Super Bowl XL did you wonder, “…And to think Cowher closed preseason by admitting his passing game wasn’t where it needed to be.” No? Neither did I.

So perhaps DANZ’s will get better by the time the regular season arrives.

They’ve left themselves lots of room for improvement.

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Isn’t It a Shame that Trubisky, Pickett and Rudolph Can’t All Start a Game This Preseason?

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All eyes will be on choice Kenny Pickett tonight as the Steelers square off against the Jaguars tonight in their 2nd preseason game of the 2022 exhibition season.

The Steelers of course drafted the Pitt Panther in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and after a slow start in training camp, Pickett was arguably the star of the Steelers preseason win over the Seahawks last week leading a, dare we say, Ben Roethlisbergeresque comeback.

Sure, it was in the second half of the first NFL preseason game against a group of guys who’ll count themselves lucky if they spend a day on an NFL practice squad.

  • Nonetheless, Mitch Trubisky will start this game, with Pickett slated to come in second.

Which begs the question: If Pickett played so well and if Mike Tomlin is running a serious quarterback competition, then shouldn’t Pickett get a shot at starting a meaningful preseason game?

Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Kenny Pickett, Steelers 2022 quarterback competition

Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph. Photo Credit: Brandon Sloter / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images and The Athletic.)

And there’s the rub.

Under the 4 game preseason format, it would have been far easier to give Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph a shot at starting a game. But now that preseason is only limited to 3 games, the math gets harder.

The last time the Steelers staged a 3 way competition for the starting quarterback slot was during the 1996 season. Neil O’Donnell had departed after Super Bowl XXX, leaving Mike Tomczak, Jim Miller and Kordell Stewart to vie for the starting job.

Bill Cowher gave each quarterback a start, (thanks to an America Bowl game in Tokyo,Steelers actually had 5 preseason games that summer) decided on Jim Miller, but jerked him after just one half in an ugly season-opening loss to the Jaguars.

Looking back on that experience, perhaps it’s one of the reasons why, for all his talk about holding an open competition, Mike Tomlin has appeared intent on have Mitch Trubisky open the season as the starter.

But I for one would have liked to see each quarterback benefit from starting a game with the rest of the first team, followed by a rotation that gives the others a representative split of time playing with both primary backups and the guys struggling to land a roster spot somewhere.

  • But you can’t really do that with a 3 game preseason schedule.

Heck, is really hard to have two different QBs start a meaningful game. Yeah, the old curmudgeon in me who likes to sing the praise of the virtues of preseason football IS coming out. But that grumpiness is tempered by the reality the hemming and hawing over the poor quality of preseason football has become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Last year, Mike Tomlin did give hte late Dwayne Haskins a legitimate shot at wresting the job from Mason Rudolph. Reading the coverage of someone Haskins work with the second team, you’d have thought he flashed signs of stardom.

Watching the games told my eyes that I was seeing “good” but not great performances. When Haskins finally got his start, he blinked, but he wasn’t nearly as bad as some of the critiques written about him would have had your think.

The Steelers brass obviously had a different view, because they wasted no time in tendering Haskins an exclusive rights free agent contract.

At the end of the day, in a perfect world, each of the Steelers quarterbacks would start a meaningful game in the preseason. But the game has moved on, imperfectly or perhaps perfectly, but regardless, Mike Tomlin has a plan and he is sticking to it.

And Mike Tomlin knows “a little bit” more than I do about preparing quarterbacks to start in the NFL, so good for him.

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Steelers 2022 Draft Needs @ Quarterback – Don’t Force Trying to Find a Franchise QB

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Quarterback is football’s critical position. This has been true since the modern game abandoned the Single Wing and has only become “more” true in the 21st century.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been blessed by both excellence and stability at the quarterback position for almost two decades.

But while the 2022 off season is still young, the Steelers have been jolted twice with reminders of how fleeting stability at quarterback can be. First, they lost Ben Roethlisberger to retirement. This they expected. Then, tragedy struck, and they lost Dwayne Haskins, to an untimely, horrific death.

Matt Corral, Mike Tomlin, 2022 NFL Draft

Mike Tomlin sizes up Matt Corrall. Photo Credit: Tribune-Review

Steelers Quarterback Depth Chart: The Potential Starters

For the first time since the year summer of 2000, the Steelers will host their first quarterback competition at St. Vincents. Going into the 2022 NFL Draft, the two contestants are veteran Mason Rudolph and free agent Mitchell Turbisky.

In Mason Rudolph the Steelers have a veteran quarterback whom they graded as a first rounder and picked in the 3rd round of the 2018 NFL Draft. In those four years, Mason Rudolph has appeared in 17 games, started 10 of those, and amassed a 5-4-1 record.

  • He’s completed 61.5% of his passes, and thrown 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Mason Rudolph was thrown to the dogs in 2019 when an elbow injury ended Ben Roethlisberger’s season after just 6 quarters.

While he won 5 of his 8 starts, he suffered a concussion, and was the victim of an assault by Myles Garrett on the road  in the infamous “Body Bag Game” against Cleveland. The truth is that Mason looked shaky and tentative – as in Kordell Stewart al la 1999 – after both of those incidents. That led to his benching in favor of Devlin Hodges.

Hodges himself got benched against the New York Jets, and Mason Rudolph looked strong in relief, only to get injured again. He played fairly well in his only start against the Browns at the end of the 2020 season but was only “OK” in the tie against Detroit.

Four years after drafting him, the Steelers still aren’t sold on Mason Rudolph, explaining their decision to sign Mitch Trubisky to a 2 year, prove it deal. The Chicago Bears made Mitch Trubisky the 2nd pick overall in the 2017 NFL Draft.

  • The conventional wisdom on Trubisky is that he’s a bust.

After four years as a starter, including two playoff seasons, no one wanted to give him a second contract, let alone a shot at a starting job (contrast that with the Sam Darnold trade.) Has Trubsiky been that bad? Here are some interesting numbers:

Mitch Trubisky, Ben Roethlisberger,

 

That’s an interesting if not surprising comparison. Ultimately this is a glass-half vs. glass full comparison. Either Trubisky is only a step down from Roethlisberger, or the gulf between a franchise QB and a good QB is truly defined by the margins.

The terms and length of Trubisky’s deal (1 years for about 7 million per year, plus incentives) signal that the Steelers are giving him a chance to prove he’s an NFL starter and nothing else.

Steelers Quarterback Depth Chart: The Backups

The Steelers are new territory here. This is a franchise that not only believes in investing in the backup quarterback position, but also in the third string quarterback slot. As we’ve mused before, in many was the Mike Tomlin era has also been the Golden Age of Steelers 3rd string quarterbacks, with third stringers like Dennis Dixon, Charlie Batch, Landry Jones and Devlin Hodges getting starts.

Joshua Dobbs signed with the Cleveland Browns the day before Dwyane Haskins died, leaving the depth chart behind the two potential starters bare.

The Steelers 2022 Quarterback Draft Needs

Kenny Pickett, Malik Willis, Matt Corral and Desmond Ridder are just a handful of the potential first round picks at quarterback that the Steelers have shown interest in. And for good reason. Both Rudoph and Trubisky have something to prove, and they have no one behind him should both falter.steelers, draft, needs, priority, 2021 NFL Draft

  • Should the Steelers target a quarterback in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft?

Who knows? Seriously, I’m wise enough not to know that I don’t know enough to evaluate college players coming out for the NFL draft. I do know that the conventional wisdom of the “draftnics” is that this a weak quarterback class.

And the backflips that teams are doing to secure and/or keep established starting quarterbacks show that the majority of NFL personnel managers agree.

If one of the top quarterbacks is still on the board when the Steelers are on the clock, Art Rooney II, Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin would be wise to remember point 3 of the 4 Point Road Map to get the Steelers back to the Super Bowl:

But with that said, the focus of this series isn’t on how the Steelers can add, but what their areas of need are. And the Steelers draft needs at quarterback heading into the 2022 NFL Draft must be considered Moderate-High.

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Dwyane Haskins 1997-2022, Steelers Back Up Quarterback Dead after Collision with Car

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Tragedy has struck the Pittsburgh Steelers as backup quarterback Dwayne Haskins died today, Saturday April 9th, 2022 after being hit by a car in South Florida. According to Chris Adamaski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Haskins was in Florida at an off season workout hosted by Mitch Trubisky, along with Mason Rudolph, Najee Harris, Pat Freiermuth, Benny Snell, Chase Claypool, Gunner Olszewski and several other Steelers.Dwayne Haskins, Dwayne Haskins obituary

Dwyane Haskins was 24 and is survived by his wife Kalabrya. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin made the following statement:

I am devastated and at a loss for words with the unfortunate passing of Dwayne Haskins. He quickly became part of our Steelers family upon his arrival in Pittsburgh and was one of our hardest workers, both on the field and in our community. Dwayne was a great teammate, but even more so a tremendous friend to so many. I am truly heartbroken.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Kalabrya, and his entire family during this difficult time.

Steel Curtain Rising echoes that sentiment.

Haskins’ Fleeting Second Chance with the Steelers

Dwayne Haskins was a standout player for The Bullis School, an elite prep school in Potomac, Maryland who played his college ball for Ohio State, and was a contender for the Heisman Trophy in 2018. Daniel Snyder wasted little time in bringing Haskins back to Washington, picking him 15th in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Haskins took over the starting role in mid-2019, but his tenure was brief. Haskins got benched after 4 games in the 2020 season, returned to a starting role in week 14, but was cut before the end of the season when social media pictures surfaced of Haskins at an event that clearly violated COVID-19 protocols.

Dwayne Haskins, Steelers vs Panthers Preseason

Dwyane Haskins had a rough night, to say the least. Photo Credit: AP via Tribune Review

With Ben Roethlisberger‘s “Life’s Work” rapidly coming into focus, the Steelers signed Haskins early in the 2021 off season.

However, the Steelers only offered him the league minimum, and resigned Joshua Dobbs, further putting Haskins on notice that he’d need to earn his roster spot. By all accounts, Haskins played well during training camp. He saw extended duty early in preseason, looking very good as the second quarterback in the rotation.

While the Steelers offered Haskins an Exclusive Rights Free Agent tender to start the 2022 off season, it was also clear that Haskins would need to earn a roster spot. Sadly, destiny has robbed him of that chance.

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