The first couple years of Dwayne Haskins’ NFL career have not gone as planned. The 2019 first-round pick didn’t even make it two full years with the Washington Football Team before getting released, but one former NFL defensive back thinks he’ll get a second chance with another team.
On Monday, Washington waived Haskins, who cleared waivers to become a free agent just one day later. Since being drafted, Haskins has struggled on the field and has had his share of off-field issues too. Now that he’s free to sign with a new team, former NFL defensive back and current ESPN analyst Domonique Foxworth believes some of the criticism about Haskins has been exaggerated. Foxworth chalks it up to a player simply being immature.
“He deserves a lot of the criticism that he’s got, but I do think some if it is a bit overblown to the point where we’re asking is he going to get another chance?” Foxworth said. “That’s not something that I think is even fair to be considering at this time. Maybe he’s not as good as we thought he was. Maybe that one year in college was a fluke or a product of the system. Maybe he’s bad. But a first-round pick, those guys always get second chances unless there are extenuating circumstances with the law or with some addiction or something like that. He doesn’t have any of those problems. He’s just immature.”
It looks like Foxworth is right about Haskins being able to get another shot relatively soon. According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, there are a number of teams who have already looked into adding the former Ohio State Buckeye. One of those teams resides in the NFC South.
“While free agent QB Dwayne Haskins is unlikely to sign before the season, he is receiving interest from several teams, source said,” Rapoport wrote on Twitter. “One of those is the Carolina Panthers, but there are others intrigued by Haskins.”
Carolina did not make SportsLine’s initial top group of teams that could sign Haskins, as the experts released odds on where Haskins will play in 2021. The Pittsburgh Steelers opened as the favorite to sign Haskins as Ben Roethlisberger’s primary backup at +300, followed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+500).
The New England Patriots, who signed Cam Newton to a one-year deal in July, could be looking for a new signal caller if the franchise doesn’t go long-term with the former Panthers star. They are sitting at +600, per SportsLine. The Los Angeles Rams (+700), Indianapolis Colts (+900), New Orleans Saints (+1200), Denver Broncos (+1500) and Atlanta Falcons (+2000) round out the odds list.
