PITTSBURGH —The NFL draft is approaching, and it is clear that the rumor mill has heated up. There are reports and rumors that come out almost daily about what these teams might do in trades and who they are interested in drafting.
One that has been persistent for at least two months is that the Steelers have interest in trading for Jets quarterback Sam Darnold. The rumors of this resurfaced Monday, and it was also reported that it might only take a third- or fourth-round pick to pull it off.
It makes very little sense, but I understand why some people would be enamored with the idea. Darnold is a former first-round pick and is just entering his prime. He is a big, strong athlete with a big arm. He looks the part but hasn't always played the part, and many are convinced he would be a much better player in a better organization.
I think that is all a pipe dream as Darnold has all the tools but seems to be missing some intangibles to be a star. He is a classic case of a talented player who will likely never fulfill his promise. I could be wrong, but I don't think I am wrong as he's always been not quite enough.
Darnold is a nice offseason discussion, but I don't think he is a significant upgrade over Mason Rudolph. Darnold is a better athlete and more mobile than Rudolph, but he isn't a better passer. There is nothing for the Steelers to gain from trading for Darnold and taking on his contract.
It isn't just about Darnold, though. It is about the Steelers being smart with their resources and not wasting them on players that are luxury items. The Steelers don't need a quarterback. They have enough and they brought back Ben Roethlisberger which means they are in win now mode.
The quarterback position is one the Steelers should ignore until next offseason. I don't even think they should waste a late-round draft choice to get an extra training camp arm. If the Steelers need to add an extra arm they can pick up an undrafted free agent and bring him to training camp.
This talk about bringing in a quarterback for this season should have died when Roethlisberger re-signed for this year. Once that happened, it was a moot point to worry about what the future of the quarterback spot is. That cannot be a concern until next offseason.
I get it, people want to be assured of what life after Roethlisberger is going to be like — but it doesn't matter, really. All that matters is the Steelers have a chance to play for the Super Bowl this year. That has to be the focus and that has to be the focus of every offseason move.
I would presume the Steelers will sign Rudolph for another year or two and he will get the first chance to take the baton from Roethlisberger. I am assuming that they will also sign a free agent veteran to compete with him and maybe even draft one as well.
But that is a year away and the Steelers have plenty of time to worry about that after the season. It may take a few years to get it sorted out before they find the right quarterback to build around.
For now the focus needs to stay on building the best 2021 team possible. And that means filling the holes that are most glaring and shoring up some areas of depth that could use help.
The first priority has to be a running back now and I think that is an area they will address in the draft. There are a lot of good running backs available and the Steelers don't have a legitimate every down back on the roster. They need to upgrade that position significantly, so the hope is that they pick one early.
The Steelers also need a tight end, a linebacker — or two — and at least one more tackle. They probably could also use a center and it is never a bad option to draft secondary help, either. The Steelers have done a good job of fortifying some of these positions with low cost veteran free agents but they still need more help.
It is fun to dream about a quarterback or some other skill position but the Steelers don't have the luxury of doing that. That discussion can wait a year, but for now they need to stay focused on building the team around the quarterback position.
