Tomlin: Haskins' last performance before cuts wasn't what we wanted
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin seemed unimpressed with Dwayne Haskins after the quarterback's final bid to crack the team's opening-day roster.
"Like the rest of us, I didn't think it was enough varsity work from him," Tomlin said Friday after the Steelers fell 34-9 to the Carolina Panthers to cap their preseason. "It wasn't the type of performance he wanted or we wanted, but such is life."
Haskins started versus Carolina after coming off the bench during Pittsburgh's first three exhibition contests. He went 9-for-16 passing for 108 yards with an interception and a late touchdown pass, re-entering the game after Joshua Dobbs exited with a turf toe injury.
The 24-year-old is vying for a roster spot in Pittsburgh three offseasons after the Washington Football Team drafted him 15th overall. Washington released him late during his sophomore year amid on-field struggles and off-field issues.
"I agree," Haskins said of Tomlin's assessment. "It was a tough one. I wanted to play better, I know that we wanted to do better as a team."
The Steelers seem comfortable with Ben Roethlisberger and Mason Rudolph atop their depth chart, leaving Haskins and Dobbs on the roster bubble. NFL teams must trim their active rosters to 53 players by Tuesday afternoon.
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