The situation for the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback is not ideal, let’s put it that way. With Ben Roethlisberger facing uncertainty about his future, and that is to say the least, the Steelers don’t have much proven depth on their quarterback depth chart.
If Roethlisberger returns, he will carry a heavy wage cap of $ 41 million. If Roethlisberger retires or is expelled, that would save the Steelers about $ 19 million in the salary cap, but would hand over the keys to one of the following scenarios:
Mason Rudolph takes over as the proprietor.
Dwayne Haskins proves that it is worth starting.
The Steelers recruit a quarterback and go all-in on this project from day one.
Clearly, the overall trajectory of the Steelers’ quarterback position depends on the decision that Roethlisberger faces this off-season.
But how does the situation of the Steelers quarterback rank among your colleagues? Pro Football Focus (PFF) recently ranked the 5 worst quarterback situations in the 2021 regular season. Where are the Steelers? You guessed it … No. 1
Take a look at why PFF believes the Steelers have the worst quarterback situation in the NFL;
1. PITTSBURGH STEELERS
2020 QB (s): Ben Roethlisberger
Limit space projected for 2021: – $ 21 million
Whether we are looking at the 11-0 match or the 1-5 submission, Ben Roethlisberger was not performing very well compared to his counterparts. He had just one game with a PFF score over 80.0 in the year and ended the season with a 69.0 (24th) mark. His pass on the field was inconsistent, as he produced the sixth worst rate of non-captable passes when aiming at sticks. He and the Steelers relied on receivers making moves after the reception and on the third down.
There were signs of Big Ben’s decline in 2018, when he scored a 75.2 for passing, and he looked difficult at his only start in 2019, before suffering an elbow injury at the end of the season. In other words, we could see it coming.
BEST POSSIBLE SCENERY: Separating from Roethlisberger and focusing on rebuilding while trying to hit a quarterback like Kyle Trask or Jamie Newman on Day 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft
There really isn’t a best case scenario for the Pittsburgh quarterback dilemma. The Steelers’ capitalization and summons situation is not ideal, and Roethlisberger is likely to return in the 2021 season, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The best thing to do in this situation is to separate from Big Ben and start rebuilding while trying to hit a quarterback on day 2 of the 2021 NFL Draft. On the positive side, they can still do the latter, even with Roethlisberger’s return.
Florida’s Kyle Trask is one of two options Steelers could consider in April. He’s not a perfect quarterback player – hence why he’s a Day 2 player – but Trask marks the precision box with praise. The main concerns with him are his ability, or lack thereof, to make NFL pitches in the middle of the field and his slow processing and playing ability outside the structure.
Jamie Newman is another option on Day 2 and is on that track just because it is a complete wild card. He was supposed to be the starting quarterback for the Georgia Bulldogs this season after transferring from Wake Forest, but decided to give up due to COVID-19. We fully believe that Newman would be able to have great success in 2020 due to an accelerated and heavy RPO attack on Wake for a more professional group with Todd Monken in Georgia. But the defender was never able to prove that that was the case.
The accuracy, touch and positioning of Newman’s ball were tremendous in Wake in 2019, and that helped him lag behind only Joe Burrow on the Power Five in deep pass notes. He made the most of a bad situation with the Demon Deacons’ offense, which also depended heavily on him in the racing game. Newman’s athletics is special, but his talent for the arm is even better. He also had to play in a tight window with the highest FBS rate in 2019 due to the offense and lack of tabs, but he still managed to lag behind only Burrow in the tight window ticket. He’s a high-risk, high-reward prospect.
WORST SCENARIO: Keeping Roethlisberger close
Roethlisberger is planning to return to Pittsburgh for the 2021 season. This, in turn, would trigger a $ 41.25 million ceiling blow for the Steelers, who are already in a hell of a wage ceiling. If he retired – whether forced or not – Pittsburgh would still receive $ 22.25 million in dead capital, but would be free from $ 19 million. Neither seems likely at this point, so Big Ben looks set to remain on the Steelers’ list in 2021 and will account for almost a quarter of the salary cap.
It is the worst case scenario for Pittsburgh’s quarterback situation and the most likely to occur at this time. This is obviously not good for the Steelers in 2021 and beyond.
After reading this, do you tend to agree with the PFF’s analysis of the Steelers’ quarterback situation? Before judging, take a look at the 5 worst situations:
1. Pittsburgh Steelers
2. Chicago Bears
3. New Orleans Saints
4. Washington Football Team
5. New England Patriots
It should be noted that this article was written just before the Steelers added Haskins to their depth chart, but I’m not sure it would make much of a difference. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below, and stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes on black and gold as they prepare for the new year of the league, NFL Free Agency and the NFL Draft 2021.