NFL
Dwayne Haskins Sends Humble Tweet Following His Shocking Release From the Washington Football Team
Stephen Sheehan began his sportswriting career as a high school student covering sports for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel through a student outreach program. He wrote for Bleacher Report and Fan Rag Sports and worked full-time for Sports7 in 2020 and 2021. Stephen specializes in covering the NFL, particularly the New England Patriots. Stephen is inspired by the stories sports can tell, from money to tragedies to breaking news; there are so many different ways to cover the industry. He monitors Twitter and various websites every day to find stories to tell in unique ways. Stephen was a 2008 Culpepper Journalism Foundation Fellowship winner, received a bachelor's degree in journalism in 2013 and a master's in sports management in 2015 from the University of Florida, and is an active rugby player and former rugby and football coach.
Get to know Stephen Sheehan betterUpdated28 Dec 2020
The Washington Football Team brought a swift end to the Dwayne Haskins era by releasing the former Ohio State star less than 24 hours after he threw two interceptions in a 20-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers.
By dumping the former first-round pick, Washington waived goodbye to a player who not long ago looked like a potential answer to the team's biggest problem. In the aftermath of his shocking release, Haskins took to Twitter and showed humility about the biggest setback of his football career.
Dwayne Haskins is done in Washington
NFL teams had concerns about Dwayne Haskins' ability to become a franchise quarterback. After all, he only started 14 games for the Buckeyes. Yet, his magical 50-touchdown season convinced the Washington Football Team to eschew those one-year wonder concerns and take him with the 15th overall pick of the 2019 NFL draft.
That has proven to be a massive mistake.
In his rookie season, Haskins appeared in nine games and did not look impressive. In seven starts, the big-armed QB posted a dismal completion percentage of 58.6. He threw the same number of touchdowns (seven) as interceptions on 203 attempts.
Heading into his second season, he looked to impress new head coach Ron Rivera.
He's done the complete opposite.
In seven games (six starts), the 6-foot-4, 230-pound signal-caller has continued to make critical mistakes that cost his team victories. Haskins has thrown seven interceptions on 241 attempts. Meanwhile, the second-year QB has only thrown five touchdowns while going 1-5 as a starter.
Compounded with his maturity issues, Haskins simply hasn't inspired any semblance of faith in his ability to be the long-term answer at quarterback. Following another lackluster performance, the Washington Football Team surprisingly released their 2019 first-round pick on Monday.
The former Ohio State star shows humility following his shocking release
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Dwayne Haskins went 3-10 as a starter during his time in Washington. He threw more interceptions (14) than touchdowns (12). He completed just 60.1% of his passes after hitting 70% in college. His career average of 6.3 yards per attempt is almost three yards lower than what he put up at Ohio State.
In addition to his erratic play on the field, Haskins' off-field behavior also hasn't done him any favors. Back in October, he got fined $4,833 for breaking COVID-19 protocols. Last week, Haskins found himself in hot water again due to a photograph that showed him attending an event with strippers without wearing a face mask. Washington fined Haskins $40,000 and also stripped him of his team captain role.
Needless to say, it's been a rough year for the young QB. Following his shocking release, Haskins took to Twitter and showed humility about this unexpected setback to his football career.
“My time with the WFT has unfortunately come to an end,” Haskins wrote. “I thank the team & fans for the opportunity to play for the team I grew up rooting for. I take full responsibility for not meeting the standards of a NFL QB & will become a better man & player because of this experience.”
His message at least shows some self-awareness. Yet, that may not matter for some NFL teams given his awful film and maturity concerns. But that doesn't mean Haskins' career is over just yet.
Will another NFL team claim the disappointing QB on waivers?
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Dwayne Haskins will go down as one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history. Yet, he still has plenty of time to make fans forget about his dismal tenure with the Washington Football Team.
But will he get to choose his next team?
Any of the other 31 NFL teams can put in a waiver claim to secure two years of his services. Haskins will make $1.8 million in 2021 and $2.46 million in 2022. Given his first-round pedigree and cheap contract, he should generate interest from at least a few teams.
The New England Patriots stand out as a logical landing spot. Bill Belichick desperately needs to find a franchise quarterback to build around in the post-Tom Brady era. Could Haskins become his latest reclamation project?
Would the Pittsburgh Steelers consider claiming the 23-year-old? Ben Roethlisberger turns 39 in March and carries a massive cap hit for 2021. Perhaps Mike Tomlin will take a flyer on Haskins to see if he can steal a cheap successor to Big Ben.
Then again, maybe teams will completely pass on a player whose on-field performance and off-field decisions scream the exact opposite of “franchise quarterback.”
All statistics courtesy of Sports Reference and Pro Football Reference.
