Are the Pittsburgh Steelers still legitimate Super Bowl contenders? This is a question that was raised a whole heck of a lot during the team’s 11-win 2016 campaign.
Sure they have an abundance of talent at the skill positions. After all, Le’Veon Bell is the most-electric running back in the NFL. Add in Antonio Brown’s otherworldly performances in recent seasons, and there’s a whole heck of a lot to like here.
The issue with Mike Tomlin’s squad is that it lacks talent in other key areas. The team’s once vaunted defense gave up 27-plus points a total of six times this past season. There are issues along the offensive line, in the defensive secondary and from a pass-rush perspective.
This has led many to believe the Steelers need to find themselves some immediate contributors in the upcoming 2017 NFL Draft. We’re here to say that’s a narrow-minded mentality — one that could cost Pittsburgh over the long term.
At 35 years old, Ben Roethlisberger is surely showing signs of slowing down. He’s missed multiple games in each of the past two seasons and there’s been some real talk about Big Ben hanging up his cleats.
Once the primary focal point on Pittsburgh’s offense, Roethlisberger has taken a back seat to Bell in that category. In fact, the running back accounted for 30-plus percent of the team’s touches and total yardage last season. He did so while missing a quarter of the season. That’s some next-level absurdity right there.
We’re not too sure how much longer Big Ben will play. And at this point, that really doesn’t matter. He’s well past his prime. He’s considered retirement. And he’s regressed under center. Those are three sure-fire signs that Pittsburgh has to address its quarterback situation in next month’s draft.
Consider this: Landry Jones and Zach Mettenberger are the only other quarterbacks on Pittsburgh’s roster heading into the draft. The two have combined to put up 19 touchdowns with 20 interceptions en route to posting a 2-12 record as starters in the NFL. Ouch!
Needless to say, neither one can be considered the long-term solution behind Big Ben. So why are the Steelers potentially looking at kicking the quarterback situation down the road? It’s akin waiting until your child is a senior in high school before starting a college fund. Not necessarily a solid idea.
The good news here is that it seems Pittsburgh somewhat understands the situation at hand.
“I think we’ve been in that mindset for the last several years, that’s what this business tells us to be in,” head coach Mike Tomlin said earlier in March when asked if he’s been thinking about life after Roethlisberger. “We better start sharpening our sword in terms of evaluation of quarterbacks and what’s available to us or potentially available to us, that’s just due diligence.
There are two different things to look at here. Are we witnessing a sense of urgency from Tomlin and Co.? Due diligence could mean a couple different things. Were they not evaluating quarterbacks at the same clip as other positions in the past?
If so, why not? Teams always need to have a backup plan at the most important position football has to offer. Pittsburgh has been without said plan for some time now.
Even then, it would appear that the urgency isn’t there for the Steelers.
“I think because of (Roethlisberger’s) durability and how he plays, I don’t know that we have that level of urgency, but we are talking ourselves mentally through the process,” Tomlin continued.
That right there is the issue. There should be urgency simply due to Big Ben’s playing style and advanced age. At 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, the future Hall of Famer has played big throughout his career. It’s also led to him taking a ton of hits and showing up with what would normally be described as multiple serious injuries in the past.
Who is to say when Big Ben’s body will finally say it’s time? Heck, who is to say when the quarterback will finally say it’s time to move on from the gridiron? Again, it’s been at least bandied about recently.
If Pittsburgh were to look at quarterback, we’ve laid out a few different scenarios for the upcoming draft.
Stand pat at 30: This one is intriguing in that it enables Pittsburgh to avoid using capital to move up the board for a specific quarterback target. With as many as five potential first rounders (if we include Davis Webb), one should definitely be there for the Steelers at 30. Though, we also have wonder where Mike Tomlin and Co. have these prospects ranked. If one is heads and shoulders above the rest, can they afford to stand pat at 30?
Trade up, nab franchise quarterback: This seems to be the avenue Pittsburgh might have to take if it wants to land its top-rated quarterback. With the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Chargers, Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants all potentially looking to add a quarterback in Round 1, the Steelers are in an unenviable situation here. Should it exhaust a huge chunk of capital in terms of picks to move up a great deal in the first round? That’s surely a question the team is attempting to answer right now.
Draft developmental quarterback: In reality, any quarterback picked up in this year’s draft could be developmental. Though, there’s surely different definitions some use here. Mitchell Trubisky, Deshaun Watson, DeShone Kizer and Pat Mahomes will likely have to sit a year. It’s the likes of Davis Webb and Brad Kaaya that are seen as real developmental guys. Each one might not be prepared to take the field for two-plus seasons. It’s in this that Pittsburgh might be able to nab a player they view to be Big Ben’s long-term solution on Day 2.
Our conclusion
At this point, Pittsburgh must get its quarterback of the future in the 2017 NFL Draft. We simply just don’t know how the team might go about it. Tomlin and Co. could look to address immediate needs in Round 1 while potentially moving up in the second round to get that developmental guy. It could also trade up from the 30th spot to get the one player the team is targeting. This is why Pittsburgh’s brass gets paid the big bucks.
Our simple recommendation here would be for Pittsburgh to target that one quarterback it sees as a potential long-term option and trade up for him. Maybe set a limit to how far the team might be willing to move up. If said player is available at that point, make the move.
In terms of the player, why not go after a quarterback in Trubisky that seems to possess the same skills as Big Ben? The North Carolina product started just one season in college. He’s as raw as they come. But he’s also the most physically gifted quarterback in the draft. Add him to the mix and allow the youngster to sit behind a future Hall of Famer. It seems to be too perfect at this point.