6 Steelers with the most to prove in 2021-2022
Dwayne Haskins is a no-brainer in terms of most to prove.
Haskins signed a 1-year contract for Pittsburgh this season. Truthfully, he could be on his way out of the league. The former 1st round pick has to fight for a roster spot this season. We could see Josh Dobbs and Mason Rudolph beat him out. If Haskins makes the roster he has to fight for and win the backup spot next. If he can’t really outshine Rudolph in training camp his chances of winning a starting job in the NFL will be next to nothing.
If Haskins wins the backup job it will be on him to not only earn a longer contract from Pittsburgh, but to show out in any games that Big Ben may miss, whether it is due to injury, or hopefully from Ben getting rested at the end of the season heading into playoffs. Haskins may only find himself with a single game in Week 18 to show that he deserves a chance to compete for a starting job in the NFL. This wouldn’t just be for Pittsburgh, but for any other team in the league.
It was bad enough that Haskins was drafted into a dumpster fire in Washington at the time. It was even worse when Ron Rivera would bash him on media days. However, Haskins made the mistake that got him released. If he can’t start making the right choices both on and off the field his once bright future is going to get very dim. He isn’t just fighting for a roster spot in Pittsburgh, he is fighting for a job across the entire league.
Hot. 3 reasons Steelers must sign edge defender Justin Houston. light
There are some other players with a lot to prove as well. Devin Bush needed to take another step forward in 2020 after being a top 10 pick in 2019. He had a season-ending injury and that can’t put a damper on his development. Mason Rudolph could be fighting for a starting QB job for 2022 so he can’t get beat out by Haskins in training camp. JuJu and James Washington are both in contract years. Yet, none of them have as much to lose in 2021 as the 6 I have mentioned on this list.