NFL Rumors: Dwayne Haskins To Meet With Carolina Panthers For Free-Agent Visit, Per Ian Rapoport
According to a new report, former Washington Football Team quarterback Dwayne Haskins will be having his first visit as a free agent as he meets with the Carolina Panthers early next week.
Citing internal sources, NFL.com insider Ian Rapoport wrote on Saturday that Haskins is scheduled for a free-agent visit with the Panthers that will “begin in earnest” on Monday morning. This will mark the first such event for the 23-year-old signal-caller since he was waived on December 28 by Washington during a difficult second season where he consistently struggled on the field and received a record-high $40,000 fine for violations of the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols.
As further speculated by Rapoport, it’s likely that Haskins will only sign a veterans’ minimum contract if he signs with a new team.
If Haskins impresses the Panthers during his trip, he could potentially be joining an organization making some changes behind center after finishing the 2020 season with a 5-11 record. On Monday, head coach Matt Rhule hinted that erstwhile first-string quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will need to have a “tremendous offseason” in order for him to be guaranteed a starting job in 2021.
According to a separate report from CBS Sports, Bridgewater had a good start to the 2020 campaign before trailing off in the final month, with Rhule specifically remarking that he “hasn’t played his best ball” since suffering an injury during the Panthers’ Week 10 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The coach also suggested that the club has not ruled out the possibility of using their No. 8 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft on another signal-caller to compete for the first-string job.
Despite the multiple options that the Panthers may have in the lead-up to the 2021 season, as well as the possibility that Haskins’ visit may only be for “fact-finding” purposes, there are a few factors that might work in Haskins’ favor.
“[I]f it goes well for both sides, it could turn into a signing,” Rapoport wrote. “Rhule has known Haskins since high school, and Ryan Day — Haskins’ coach at Ohio State — worked with Rhule at Temple in 2006. There are connections, and Carolina is doing its homework.”
Prior to his release from Washington, Haskins started six of seven games for the club, winning only one of those starts and finishing with five touchdowns, seven interceptions, and 1,439 passing yards — good for a QB rating of 73.0, per Pro Football Reference. He also completed 61.4 percent of his pass attempts and got sacked 20 times during his sophomore campaign.
