PITTSBURGH _ There have been plenty of glowing reports about Ben Roethlisberger's progress this week. Kevin Colbert said Monday he thinks that Roethlisberger's elbow could be stronger now than it was as a result of surgery. Roethlisberger was seen in a video throwing for the first time and told Post-Gazette columnist Ron Cook he felt "amazing" throwing it.
That's great news for the Steelers because they don't really have a "Plan B" at quarterback right now. That doesn't mean that if Roethlisberger can't play, Mason Rudolph wouldn't be able to lead the Steelers to the playoffs. But he was shaky last year and would need to play a lot better and more consistently before he proves he can be that quarterback of the future. And beyond Rudolph, there isn't any realistic option.
That's why many have taken the approach to this season that it is "Ben or bust." The Steelers don't have the money to sign another quarterback as an insurance policy if Roethlisberger can't go and Rudolph falters. They need both to be healthy and they need Rudolph to continue to learn.
There are some, though, who think that Roethlisberger's return will solve all of the Steelers offensive woes. The theory is that if he would have played last season the receivers would have been better, the running game would have been better, the offensive line would have blocked better and the tight ends wouldn't have been non-existent.
That all sounds good, but it is at best overly optimistic and at worst a complete pipe dream. The Steelers offense stunk last season because the quarterback play was below the line; there is no question. The quarterbacks didn't perform well for the most part and outside of a few flashes from Rudolph, there wasn't much to get excited about.
The quarterbacks had a lot of help, though, and anyone who is denying that is dealing in a fantasy world. And here is what I would say is the best measure of just how ineffective the Steelers offense as a unit was last year: Go ahead and try to pick the offensive MVP for me.
Diontae Johnson had a nice rookie season and James Washington had a few moments, but neither did anything particularly special. JuJu Smith-Schuster's social media and charity game was strong, and that probably is one reason few people noticed his football game was almost nonexistent. James Conner had that one game against Miami and not much else. The offensive line was not consistently good at run blocking, but they made it up for by being equally as ineffective protecting the passer.
There just wasn't a lot to get excited about, and looking ahead to this season, I just am not sure where we can expect all of this substantial improvement. The offensive line is a year older and will be shuffling some new parts in. Vance McDonald and Conner might both be stars, but neither can stay healthy enough to prove it. Johnson and Washington look like nice complementary receivers, but there isn't a star to garner all the attention. Smith-Schuster hasn't proven he can have a big season without Antonio Brown on the other side.
It just seems like the assumptions being thrown around are that all of these pieces are going to come together and flourish now that Roethlisberger is back. That could happen, but I doubt it and the Steelers offense will be mediocre unless Colbert works his magic this offseason and go gets Roethlisberger some help.
Roethlisberger doesn't have some magic potion to help Conner and McDonald stay healthy.
There are just way too many questions facing the Steelers offense for Colbert and company to sit back and rest on the idea that Roethlisberger's return solves all. The Steelers need to clear up enough cap space so that Colbert can sign Bud Dupree and add some pieces to the offense.
The Steelers should address offensive line, receiver and tight end in the draft. I've read rumors about them looking into a trade with the Jets for Le'Veon Bell, and I wouldn't hate that at all. If that doesn't work, the Steelers should look to add another veteran running back, someone who can carry the bulk of the load if Conner gets hurt.
It may seem like the Steelers are close and there is no need for an overhaul, but this is a unit that has missed the playoffs the last two seasons. This is an offense that still doesn't appear to have anyone capable of filling the void left by the departures of Brown and Bell.
There is a lot of work to be done, and if Colbert and the front office don't get it done, this will be a third consecutive non-playoff season even if Roethlisberger is healthy. He is obviously a big piece of the puzzle but he is only one piece and there are many more that need to be solved before anyone can feel good about this offense.
