Pittsburgh Steelers QB Dwayne Haskins dies after being struck by dump truck.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins died early Saturday morning after he was struck by a dump truck while he was walking on a South Florida highway. Haskins was 24 years old.

Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson Lt. Indiana Miranda said Haskins was pronounced dead at the scene.

“He was attempting to cross the westbound lanes of Interstate 595 when there was oncoming traffic,” Miranda said in an emailed statement.

She didn’t say why Haskins was on the highway near Fort Lauderdale at the time. The accident caused the highway to be shut down for several hours, and Miranda said it’s “an open traffic homicide investigation.”

Haskins was training in South Florida with other Steelers quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers.

“I am devastated and at a loss for words with the unfortunate passing of Dwayne Haskins,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said in a statement. “He quickly became part of our Steelers family upon his arrival in Pittsburgh and was one of our hardest workers, both on the field and in our community. Dwayne was a great teammate, but even more so a tremendous friend to so many. I am truly heartbroken.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Kalabrya, and his entire family during this difficult time.”

After a standout 2018 season at Ohio State, Haskins was selected 15th overall by the Washington Commanders in the 2019 draft. Haskins spent two turbulent seasons with Washington before signing in Pittsburgh before last season.

“We are devastated to hear the news of the tragic passing of Dwayne Haskins Jr.,” Commanders owners Daniel and Tanya Snyder said in a statement. “He was a young man with a tremendous amount of potential who had infectious personality. To say we are heartbroken is an understatement. Our hearts and prayers are with the members of Dwayne’s family and all of those who knew him and loved him.”

“Dwayne was a talented young man who had a long life ahead of him,” Commanders coach Ron Rivera said in a statement. “This is a very sad time and I am honestly at a loss for words. I know I speak for the rest of our team in saying he will be sorely missed. Our entire team is sending our heartfelt condolences and thoughts and prayers to the Haskins family at this time.”

Haskins played in 16 games over two seasons with Washington, compiling a Total QBR of 29.4; the league average during that time was 63.5. He threw 12 touchdown passes to 14 interceptions.

Haskins’ time in Washington started somewhat controversially, as the scouts and coaches lobbied against drafting him with the 15th pick — but Snyder wanted him. Haskins was a big name locally, having starred for three seasons at Bullis High School in Potomac, Maryland.

Haskins started seven games in his rookie year and the first four games the following season but was benched after a 31-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Haskins was released by Washington later that season and went unclaimed on waivers. He signed a reserve/future contract with Pittsburgh in January 2021.

Saying he was humbled by the decision, Haskins stressed he was eager to work hard and absorb as much as he could from Ben Roethlisberger and Mason Rudolph. He made the roster as the third-stringer but dressed only once, serving as the backup in a tie with the Detroit Lions after Roethlisberger was placed into the COVID-19 protocol the night before the game.

Roethlisberger remembered Haskins in a tweet, writing, “I only had the privilege to know D-Hask for a short time, but in that time I got to meet a young man that didn’t seem to ever have a bad day. He came to work everyday with a smile on his face and energy and love in his heart. … Wish we had more time together on this earth, but I will cherish the time and the laughs we had!”

In response to the news of Haskins’ death, Rudolph simply tweeted, “Devastated.”

Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt remembered Haskins as an “upbeat guy.”

Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool posted an emotional tweet, sharing that he spent time with Haskins this weekend.

 

“I spent your final moments with you and I can’t help but think about how selfless you were in those moments,” Claypool wrote. “All you cared about was making sure that everyone around you was okay and I can’t thank you enough for that. You are what I strive to be.”

Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert both praised Haskins for his improvement since joining the team, and the Steelers re-signed him to a one-year deal as a restricted free agent in March. He was expected to compete with Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky for a spot.

“We’re excited to see what Dwayne can provide, either from competition, or maybe he evolves as a starter,” Colbert said in January.

Haskins had his greatest on-field success at Ohio State. After spending his first two seasons behind J.T. Barrett, Haskins beat out Joe Burrow to be the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback going into the 2018 season.

He backed up the Ohio State coaching staff’s decision by delivering perhaps the greatest passing season in program history. He set Big Ten single-season records for passing yards (4,831), touchdown passes (50) and total offensive yards (4,939), in addition to 28 school records.

The record-setting year led to Haskins being named a Heisman Trophy finalist and a third-team Associated Press All-American.

In his final game as a Buckeye, Haskins threw three touchdown passes and for 251 yards in a Rose Bowl victory over Washington.

“The loss of Dwayne is beyond tragic and extremely difficult to process,” current Ohio State coach Ryan Day, who was Haskins’ position coach and the Buckeyes’ acting head coach in 2018, tweeted. “For those who knew him closely, he was much more than a great football player. He had a giant heart, old soul and an infectious smile. The Ohio State community and our entire football program are heartbroken.”

The school also released a statement: “The Ohio State Department of Athletics is terribly saddened to learn the death of Dwayne Haskins Saturday morning. We are thinking of the entire Haskins family during this most difficult time. Our prayers are with the family, and with his current and former teammates, coaches, friends and relatives.”

“Heartbroken to hear of the loss of Dwayne Haskins Jr.,” former Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer tweeted Saturday. “My thoughts and prayers go out to his incredible family. One of the greatest QB’s in Ohio State history, but an even better son, teammate, and friend. God Bless!!”

The Pittsburgh Penguins held a moment of silence in honor of Haskins before their Saturday afternoon game against the Washington Capitals.

Information from ESPN’s John Keim and The Associated Press was used in this report.

 

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Bills coach says Damien Harris has full movement after neck injury

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills running back Damien Harris was taken off the field in an ambulance and transported to a local hospital after suffering a neck injury Sunday night against the New York Giants.

Coach Sean McDermott said it was his understanding that Harris has full movement in his body and that his scans are good so far.

“So, things are heading in a good direction right now for Damien,” McDermott said following Buffalo’s 14-9 win.

Harris was rushing the football on third-and-1 from the Buffalo 34-yard-line in the second quarter when he took a hit to the neck area into the back of Bills right guard O’Cyrus Torrence and into the arms of Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke. Harris then took steps to try to continue running as Okereke brought him to the turf.

Harris lay on the field for several minutes as medical personnel and Bills athletic trainers tended to him. The entire Bills sideline came out to surround and support him. Left tackle Dion Dawkins shared that he made sure Harris was breathing but had to then take steps away as Harris received care.

Harris gave a thumbs-up sign with his left hand from the stretcher as he was loaded into the ambulance. The Bills announced shortly thereafter that he had movement in his arms and legs and was undergoing further testing at the hospital.

“It’s really an emotional thing, and people be trying to act like we’re unhuman like … that stuff is real,” Dawkins said. “It’s very real, and Damien’s our brother. He’s our friend, and we know him personally. To see him laying down … he just found out two days ago that he was having a boy. They said that it was a neck injury. Imagine if he can’t hold his son off of one play? That’s scary, man. It’s scary. And I take it for what it is, and I take it with respect of God, but like any moment, it could be it.”

Harris, an upbeat member of the locker room who often talks excitedly about his growing family with his wife, arrived at the game wearing a blue sweater with a goose emblazoned on it and pants with blue accents.

“You never want to see that. That’s the ugly part of the game,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said of Harris being taken off the field in an ambulance. “He’s been so great, Damien, coming here, and I know he’s only been here for a few months, obviously this training camp, but the juice that he brings and the tough-nose running that he brings to this offense, you can’t really replace it, you know? And I’m hoping he’s all right … praying for him, him and his family.”

Allen injured his right throwing shoulder earlier in the second quarter with just over five minutes remaining on first-and-10 play when he was taken down by Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Allen’s shoulder hit the turf after an incomplete pass.

Allen went into the X-ray room following the game, and he said he was not impacted by the injury. McDermott said all the scans on Allen’s shoulder were “normal.”

The carry Harris was injured on was his first of the game and his only offensive snap of the contest. He was also the team’s lead kickoff returner Sunday night.

Harris, 26, is in his first season as a Bill after signing in free agency. After spending his first four years with the New England Patriots, he quickly adjusted to his new team and had what he described as the best offseason of his career. He has played as a backup in a room that includes second-year back James Cook and veteran Latavius Murray, who started the game versus the Giants and played two fewer snaps than Cook.

Entering Sunday’s game, Harris, who was selected in the third round of the 2019 draft out of Alabama, had recorded 22 carries for 93 yards and a touchdown, in addition to two receptions for 16 yards.

 

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Clutch defense powers Jets’ upset win over Eagles

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Jets lost star quarterback Aaron Rodgers on the fourth play of the season, and now they’re taking it out on the elite quarterbacks they encounter on their schedule.

The Jets intercepted Jalen Hurts three times — twice in the fourth quarter — to spark a 20-14 upset of the previously undefeated Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. It was the Jets’ first-ever win over the Eagles after 12 losses, dating to 1973.

 

“These first six weeks, we played a gauntlet of quarterbacks and I know we haven’t gotten all wins, but we’ve embarrassed all of them,” coach Robert Saleh said after perhaps the biggest win of his 40-game tenure.

Maybe Saleh forgot about Dak Prescott, who ripped them for 255 yards and two touchdowns. But against Patrick Mahomes, Hurts and Josh Allen, who finished 1-2-3, respectively, in the 2022 NFL MVP voting, the Jets recorded eight interceptions with only three touchdown passes. They lost a 3-point game to Mahomes, but they delivered big play after big play in taking down Allen and Hurts.

“Our mindset is to scare — I mean, not scare people. Our mindset is to overpower people with our speed and our violence,” said linebacker Quincy Williams, who had one of the team’s four takeaways — a fumble recovery. “So that’s the biggest thing. So that’s our identity — violence.”

And clutch plays.

After the two-minute warning, safety Tony Adams set up the game-winning touchdown by intercepting Hurts on a third-and-9 pass from the Eagles’ 46 — his first career interception. Hurts threw into double coverage. Tight end Dallas Goedert was covered by Williams and Adams read it perfectly, returning it 45 yards to the Eagles’ 8-yard line. Breece Hall scored on the next play to give the Jets a 20-14 lead after a successful two-point pass.

Adams, cornerback Bryce Hall and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams each had an interception on a day in which the Jets played without three of their top four cornerbacks — Sauce Gardner (concussion), D.J. Reed (concussion) and Brandin Echols (hamstring). By the end of the game, they also didn’t have nickel back Michael Carter II (hamstring).

“I had a game winning interception before in college, but it was nothing like this,” said Adams, who made the roster in 2022 as an undrafted free agent. “To do it with these guys and this locker room — after all we went through, after the late news this week — it’s an honor. It’s an honor to [handle] business with these guys.”

Playing with backups and practice-squad call-ups, the Jets shut out the Eagles in the second half. In fact, the Eagles were held scoreless on their final seven drives, tied for their most consecutive drives without a point under coach Nick Sirianni.

It’s what the Jets do. They’re strong closers; they’ve allowed only 31 second-half points this season. This was their seventh win under Saleh (since 2021) after trailing by 10 or more points, tied with the Minnesota Vikings for the most such wins over that span.

“It’s a big win. They’re NFC Champs,” Saleh said. “We took the world champs [Kansas City] to the wire. We beat Buffalo. Probably let one slip away with the Patriots (a 15-10 loss). It is what it is. The Dallas game (31-10 loss) is what it is. I think we’ll always be in these games. I think we can go toe-to-toe with anybody.”

The Jets were staggered after Rodgers’ season-ending Achilles injury in Week 1, losing to Dallas and New England. At 1-2, with tension rising in the locker room and the pressure building on quarterback Zach Wilson, the Jets played well in a losing effort to Kansas City, then responded with back-to-back wins over Denver and Philadelphia.

“We wanted to be the best in the world and, in order to be the best you have to play against the best and beat them,” linebacker C.J. Mosley said.

Defensive end John Franklin-Myers said, “You’ve seen what we can do on a week-in, week-out basis. How can you count us out?”

The Jets fell behind, 14-3, sputtering in the red zone — an 0-for-3 to start the game, extending their red-zone drought to eight straight drives without a touchdown until Hall’s score. They rallied back with Greg Zuerlein’s second, third and fourth field goals and a defense that cranked up the pressure on Hurts. He was pressured on a season-high 40% of his dropbacks despite only a handful of blitzes, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

In the process, the Jets ended a most unusual streak — the longest winless drought against a single opponent. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson said he wasn’t aware of that until after the game.

“That’s crazy, I didn’t know that,” he said. “Jets Nation, you all deserve this.”