Mason Rudolph fumbled on the first possession of the Steelers preseason, and fans wanted to see more of Dwayne Haskins.
Haskins is battling with Rudolph for the No. 2 spot. Rudolph has had a stranglehold on the backup position behind Ben Roethlisberger for a few seasons, but the team no longer sees him as the standalone heir-apparent behind the future Hall-of-Famer. Instead, the former Ohio State Buckeye and Washington first-round pick Haskins will have every opportunity to usurp him.
On the team’s first offensive possession of the game, Rudolph fumbled on a handoff exchange on a third down. The ball was recovered by Dallas Cowboys rookie defense end Micah Parsons.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Should Dwayne Haskins replace Mason Rudolph?
It’s the first possession of the first preseason game. It’s far too early to give up on Rudolph as a backup based on one play, especially considering the fumble wasn’t even totally his fault. The exchange was bad, which is also on the ball-carrier and offensive line.
MICAH PARSONS WITH THE RECOVERY 🏈
— PFF (@PFF) August 6, 2021
pic.twitter.com/hfPmU5o8co
Steelers fans wanted to see less of Rudolph and more of Haskins almost immediately.
I’ve seen enough. GET DEWEY HASKINS ON THE FIELD
— Nick Maraldo (@nickmaraldo) August 6, 2021
timeline finally respecting haskins?🥲 pic.twitter.com/4pUiUchjR0
— NajeeXGibson #LongLiveSimba (@NajeeXGibson) August 6, 2021
Ok I’m ready for Haskins
— 🦅Manic Minkah🦅 (@DominicFitz39) August 6, 2021
Put Haskins in i’ve seen enough
— ⚫️Minkah FitzMagic🟡 (@MinkahMinaj) August 6, 2021
Ok funs over put in Haskins
— Brendan (@bglinhart) August 6, 2021
I'm only watching this game to see what Dwayne Haskins does. I honestly don't care about either team other than that
— Scarlet & Game (@ScarletAndGame) August 6, 2021
Alright, go ahead and start Haskins for me
— ᴛᴀʏʟᴏʀ (@oxvixen) August 6, 2021
https://twitter.com/ASAPJon/status/1423439674228547584
They are fighting for backup role. Just want to skip to third and watch Haskins. Reporters have said he looked real good in camp.
— Cameron Saliga (@CSaligaTV) August 6, 2021
The Steelers aren’t going to listen to their fanbase. They entered this game with an obvious plan to see both Rudolph and Haskins get plenty of reps.
Surely fans will see Haskins soon enough.