PHILADELPHIA _ Make room for the understudies.
Thirteen years ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Ben Roethlisberger and the New York Giants acquired No. 1 pick Eli Manning in a trade with San Diego. Those quarterbacks went on to win two Super Bowls each.
On Saturday, for the first time in four years, the Steelers drafted a quarterback in fourth-rounder Josh Dobbs of Tennessee. That came a day after the Giants selected Cal's Davis Webb in the third.
While it's too early to say that either Dobbs or Webb will eventually succeed the current starters, it's not outside the realm of possibility. After all, Dak Prescott was a fourth-round pick by Dallas last year, replaced the injured Tony Romo, and ultimately made him expendable.
"I'm not trying to replace anyone," the newest Pittsburgh quarterback said. "I'm just trying to be the best Josh Dobbs I can be."
However, no one would be surprised if Dobbs replaces backup Landry Jones, a fourth-round pick in 2013 who was recently signed to a two-year deal shortly after he became a free agent.
Roethlisberger, 35, mulled the idea of retiring after the 2016 season.
"Regardless of what Ben's doing, whether he plays five more years, six more years _ I tease him all the time you have to go eight _ that's irrelevant," Steelers quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner said, via The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I think our room just gets very competitive right now. It's been a while."
Manning, 36, has three years left on his contract. The Giants reached out to him before selecting Webb to alert him they were taking a quarterback, presumably so he wouldn't take it the wrong way.
"Let me get this straight guys," general manager Jerry Reese told reporters. "We hope that Eli plays for a long time for us. Eli is our quarterback and we still think that he can play at a high level, but we do know that he is not going to play forever, so we are trying to make the best decision as we move forward for the rest of Eli's career."
It was a prudent move for both teams. But as Romo can attest, uneasy lies the crown.
