Dwayne Haskins will lead the Steelers' first team offense onto the field Friday night for the first time as a member of the organization.
There's only one problem. Most of the actual first team is probably not going to be out there with him.
Mike Tomlin announced Wednesday that many veterans and key players will not play in the preseason finale against Carolina, but that's not stopping Haskins from looking at this as a massive opportunity.
"Just go out there and do what I'm asked to do as far as leading the offense, making the right reads and, most importantly, taking care of the ball," Haskins said.
"I've got some time to be able to play against them the last couple of years in my time in Washington, so I'm kind of familiar with their scheme and how they like to do things. I think I'm pretty prepared to play them."
In fact, Haskins' last game played in the NFL came on December 12 of last year, against the Panthers. He completed only half of his passes and was intercepted twice, eventually being replaced by Taylor Heinicke.
"That's not who I am now and that's not who I was trying to be when I was playing," Haskins said. "That game, as far as how I play, is out of my head… I'm looking forward to showcasing and doing things that I know I'm talented enough to do, and putting it on field."
But Haskins has not had that opportunity, in a game, yet this preseason, working exclusively with the second and third strings while Mason Rudolph played ahead of him.
"I want to see him take care of the football," Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada said. "Make good, smart decisions and move the offense in a nice, solid way down the field."
Canada, when asked if Haskins and Rudolph were still in a battle for the backup job, dodged the question.
"We're just really excited to watch those two guys (Haskins and Josh Dobbs) play (Friday)," Canada said.
Rudolph has not led a touchdown drive in any of his series through three weeks, while Haskins has led the offense to 36 points.
So is the third-year quarterback disturbed by the lack of apparent faith the Steelers organization has in him this year?
"No, not really," Haskins said. "Coach Tomlin tells me that I have opportunities to (get snaps behind Ben Roethlisberger), and this is an opportunity in this game.
"This is a chance for me to show what I can do to keep getting more reps like that. If I do my job and I show that I can perform on a varsity level, against varsity defenders, and have a varsity guys around me, that I'll be more deserving of those reps.
Haskins' play has, at the very least, been on par with Rudolph's, if not slightly better. And when pressed again on the lack of depth chart movement, he opened up a little bit more.
"I think it's all a business," he said. "I think you have to earn the right to have those types of reps. It's my first year here. The opportunities that I do get, I have to make the most of them so that I can get more.
"I don't have an expectation that I need to have varsity reps or I need to be with the ones, and if I don't have it I'll be unhappy. I don't feel that way at all."
Haskins' career fizzled out in Washington, but he perhaps shed a little light on the disconnect between he and his former coaches when it came to preparation.
"I think that coach Tomlin does a great job as far as giving you a scouting report of who you're playing that week," he said. "I've never really had that before."
