Haskins, drafted by Washington in 2019 and signed by Pittsburgh two years later, had been coaching in Boca Raton, Fla., forward of organized workforce actions with the Steelers. Social media posts printed as lately as Friday night confirmed him on a subject alongside teammates Mitchell Trubisky, Najee Harris and Chase Claypool.
“I am devastated and at a loss for words with the unfortunate passing of Dwayne Haskins,” Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin mentioned in an announcement Saturday. “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.”
Haskins, the fifteenth total choose by Washington, performed virtually two full seasons with the workforce earlier than he was reduce late within the 2020 season after a tumultuous run. He was signed by the Steelers in January 2021 and retained on a restricted free agent tender for the 2022 season, affording him an opportunity to compete for a backup position following the retirement of longtime starter Ben Roethlisberger.
“I am absolutely heartbroken to hear the news of the passing of Dwayne Haskins Jr.” Washington Coach Ron Rivera mentioned in an announcement. “Dwayne was a talented young man who had a long life ahead of him. This is a very sad time and I am honestly at a loss for words. I know I speak for the rest of our team in saying he will be sorely missed. Our entire team is sending our heartfelt condolences and thoughts and prayers to the Haskins family at this time.”
Washington co-owners Daniel and Tanya Snyder issued an announcement saying they had been “devastated” by Haskins’s loss of life. “He was a young man with a tremendous amount of potential who had an infectious personality,” they added. “To say we are heartbroken is an understatement.”
Before Haskins grew to become a star at Ohio State University after which a extremely touted professional prospect, he was an adolescent brimming with chance. The Highland Park, N.J., native, moved along with his household to Gaithersburg, Md., when he was in ninth grade to attend the Bullis School in Potomac. Parents Dwayne Sr. and Tamara Haskins knew their son had a present, and determined the Washington space could be one of the best spot to nurture his expertise as a quarterback.
The household thought of a number of faculties all through the D.C. metro space, many famous for his or her soccer success. But Haskins selected Bullis, much less due to its soccer program and extra due to its teachers and its artwork program, a superb match for his youthful sister, Tamia.
“So I’d be able to be there for her every day,” Haskins had mentioned.
Haskins grew to become the sports activities editor of the varsity’s pupil newspaper and the star of its soccer workforce as a consensus four-star recruit. He initially dedicated to the University of Maryland however modified his thoughts when the Terrapins modified coaches. Enticed by the prospect to play for then-Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer, Haskins selected Ohio State, a match that appeared destined years earlier.
When he was 11, he visited the varsity for the primary time sporting a No. 7 Buckeyes jersey and a scarf. In a second captured on video, Haskins informed his father: “This is awesome. I’m going to college here.”
Less than a decade later, he was named the Buckeyes’ beginning quarterback.
In 2018, after enjoying solely 171 offensive snaps as a redshirt freshman the earlier season, Haskins was chosen over Joe Burrow, now a star with the Cincinnati Bengals. The season altered the trajectory of Haskins’s profession as he set 28 faculty data, established Big Ten single-season data for passing yards (4,831), landing passes (50) and complete offensive yards (4,939), and have become a Heisman Trophy finalist.
Despite beginning solely 14 video games for Ohio State, Haskins declared for the NFL draft and was chosen by Washington, changing into the third quarterback chosen that yr behind the Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray and the New York Giants’ Daniel Jones. Before the draft, Haskins visited the workforce’s facility and met with coaches and executives, together with Daniel Snyder.
“It’s just crazy how small this world is and how you meet somebody and that can change your life,” Haskins mentioned on draft night time of his assembly with Snyder. “That’s why I make sure I treat people the way I want to be treated, and I’ve got to do all I can to make sure that I leave a lasting impression on people. I think that’s why Mr. Snyder thought that I was the guy for this franchise.”
Haskins’s tenure in Washington was a curler coaster, beginning with that night time and culminating along with his abrupt launch in 2020.
Snyder, whose son additionally attended Bullis, pushed for the number of Haskins regardless of considerations from then-coach Jay Gruden and others within the workforce’s personnel division. The rookie was solid as the way forward for the franchise, however not solely embraced by the teaching employees. Gruden was fired early within the 2019 season after an 0-5 begin.
When Rivera took over the next yr, he declined to call Haskins the starter outright, insisting as an alternative that he show himself a pacesetter of the workforce. Late in coaching camp, Rivera lauded the work Haskins put in through the offseason and appointed him because the lead quarterback.
“There’s a certain aspect of being the face of the franchise in terms of being the starting quarterback that you have to deal with, kind of like being the head coach,” Rivera mentioned at the time. “ … He has to carry himself a certain way, he has to deal with on-the-field issues the same way he deals with off-the-field issues. I thought he’s done a great job.”
Haskins cycled through Washington’s rotation as a starter and a reserve multiple times that season before he was cut.
In Pittsburgh, Haskins started anew under Tomlin. After a year as the Steelers’ third quarterback, behind Roethlisberger and backup Mason Rudolph, Haskins was set to compete for a job in 2022, presumably behind Trubisky.
“We’re excited to see what Dwayne can provide, either from competition, or maybe he evolves as a starter,” Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert mentioned in January.
Haskins was inactive for all but one game in his first season with the Steelers and had yet to start a game since his finale with Washington. But he believed he could still develop into an NFL starter and viewed the upcoming offseason as another chance to try “put it all together.”
“I want to be a leader,” Haskins said to Pittsburgh media in January. “I want to be a guy people can rely on, on and off the field. I’m more than just a guy who can throw a ball and be talented. I can be an efficient player. I can execute at a high level. I can keep the Steeler way and continue to go on the path we’re trying to go on as far as making playoff runs and going to the Super Bowl.”
Haskins’s sudden death on Saturday elicited an outpouring of shock and sadness from former teammates, coaches and many others affiliated with the NFL and Ohio State.
“Struggling to find the words to express how crushing this news is today,” Kevin O’Connell, the former Washington offensive coordinator and current Minnesota Vikings head coach, tweeted. “Dwayne had such a positive energetic outlook on life and always treated people with genuine kindness. So Talented and with so much positive ahead in his life. Thoughts and Prayers to the Haskins Family.”
Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt shared in a tweet his memory of seeing Haskins walk into the Pittsburgh locker room for the first time.
“I could tell he was an upbeat guy,” Watt wrote. “He was always making people smile, never taking life for granted. His impact on me will last a forever.”
Meyer wrote that he was “heartbroken” by the loss of Haskins and offered his thoughts and prayers to Haskins’s family.
“One of the greatest QB’s in Ohio State history, but an even better son, teammate, and friend. God Bless!!” Meyer tweeted.
And Ryan Day, who replaced Meyer as coach of the Buckeyes in 2019, described Haskins’s death as “beyond tragic.”
“For those who knew him closely, he was much more than a great football player,” Day tweeted. “He had a giant heart, old soul and an infectious smile.”