The Pittsburgh Steelers head into the 2024 offseason with more questions than answers about the quarterback position. But this isn’t a new problem. In fact, this is a problem nearly a decade in the making.
Ben Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season and the team had no plan for his replacement. The best they could do was sign free-agent bust Mitch Trubisky and then select Kenny Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. All moves were made after the fact and lacked any sort of proactive planning.
We have evidence that the Steelers felt concerned about Roethlisberger retiring as far back as 2018 when they drafted Mason Rudolph in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft. A move in hindsight was largely window dressing despite Rudolph’s ability to stick around.
The 2018 NFL draft will forever be the draft of what could have been for the Steelers. Knowing the team needed a quarterback enough to scout many of the top ones pre-draft, Pittsburgh passed on now-Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in favor of safety Terrell Edmunds. If there is a move that will forever tarnish the legacy of former general manager Kevin Colbert, this is it.
After this draft, it was a matter of watching Roethlisberger limp through a few more seasons and the team turning a blind eye to the problem until it was too later.
But the Steelers have a chance to wipe the slate clean and start over. The right way. The 2024 NFL draft is loaded with promising prospects. There are also multiple veteran free agents and even a few guys the Steelers could trade for that at minimum are an upgrade over any combination of Pickett and Rudolph.
