Dwayne Haskins to Steelers? ESPN proposes a QB for CB/pick trade
Ever since Washington quarterback Dwayne Haskins was benched a little over a week ago, a bunch of rumors have been swirling, including the idea that the team has been desperately trying to trade away the former first-round pick, and that the second-year QB asked for a trade.
While none of those rumors have been confirmed, that doesn’t stop an of us from speculating on what might happen and trying to drum up some of our favorite trade scenarios. Earlier this week, we pondered his teams in the NFL would give Haskins the brightest future, allowing him to develop and grow in a structured environment with a veteran quarterback ahead of him. Now, ESPN has had a similar idea, proposing that the team most suitable to take on Haskins would be the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It’s fair to say that Haskins is on the outs in Washington, given that Ron Rivera just benched the 2019 first-round pick for Kyle Allen. It’s too early to give up on the former Ohio State star, but Haskins wasn’t great in his first 349 pass attempts, and Rivera wasn’t yet in town when owner Daniel Snyder pushed for his franchise to draft Haskins last year. The Washington Football Team is likely going to be in position to draft its quarterback of the future next offseason, which would leave Haskins in a vulnerable position.
Haskins realistically needs time to go develop behind an established quarterback, which is why the Steelers could make sense. Ben Roethlisberger looks solid in his age-38 season, but he is close to the end of his career. Mason Rudolph showed little filling in for Roethlisberger last season, and he is about to enter the final year of his rookie deal. Layne, a third-rounder in 2019, is at the bottom of a deep cornerback room in Pittsburgh and hasn’t played a single defensive snap as a pro. Layne and a fourth-round pick might not seem like much value for a 2019 first-rounder, but Washington hasn’t done much to make Haskins look valuable.
As recently as a month ago, it would have been safe to assume that Haskins could return more value than a backup cornerback and a fourth-round pick, but the truth is that the QB’s trade value has been tanked over the past two weeks because of his benching. Getting anything in return for Haskins, in my opinion, would be a win, simply because most teams could likely wait out Washington and see him be released, as it has become obvious that the team has little desire to keep him around.
With the NFL trade deadline fast approaching, more rumors will start to swirl, and we might actually get a trade offer for Haskins. Until then though, there is no harm in speculating.
