As the Pittsburgh Steelers enter the offseason with questions at the quarterback position for the first time in nearly two decades, soon-to-be former general manager Kevin Colbert is beginning the process with the two in-house candidates: Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins.
In addition to noting on Monday that Rudolph sits in position to be the starter, Colbert said the club plans to tender Haskins to keep him in Pittsburgh.
"Dwayne will be a restricted free agent, and I'm sure we'll decide to tender him at some point," Colbert said, via the team's official website. "So we have Dwayne and we have Mason. Can we add to that group from the outside? Sure. We'll always look at trades, we'll always look at unrestricted groups, at potential cuts down the road and make those comparisons and compare what it's going to cost us, either from a draft compensation standpoint or from a free agency, salary cap availability decision and what that will do to the rest of your team."
It's not a surprise that the Steelers would hang on to Haskins. The tender they place on him is unlikely to be high, allowing Pittsburgh to hang onto the former first-round pick for relatively cheap.
The No. 15 overall pick in 2019 by Washington, Haskins lasted just 16 games before being released in 2020. When we last saw the QB on the field, he showed a big arm but slow processing and accuracy issues.
Haskins spent 2021 rehabbing his career under Mike Tomlin's watch. The Steelers know better than anyone else the type of progress he's made. At 24 years old, the door isn't closed on Haskins making a turnaround, but Colbert stopped short of saying anything more than that Haskins will be part of the equation.
"Dwayne Haskins came in to get some nice things done throughout the season as a scout team quarterback, he played some in the preseason, and we're excited to see what Dwayne can provide either from a competition (standpoint) or maybe he evolves into a starter," said Colbert. "None of us know at this point. I think it'll be a great training camp for those two and for whichever player we're able to add to the mix."
Colbert is stepping down as the Steelers GM after the 2022 NFL Draft, but his decision on what route Pittsburgh takes at quarterback will set the stage for the next era of the franchise.
