Tag Archives: Landry Jones

4 Solutions to the Steelers Quarterback Depth Chart “Math” Problem

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If there’s one thing you can say about the internet, it’s that it is predictable. Aaron Rodgers signing ended the daily “Will HE? Or Won’t HE?” “updates” that bombarded us.

But now that Aaron Rodgers is in the fold, fretters still have to fret, so on comes the next “crisis,” namely the Steelers quarterback depth chart math problem.

Aaron Rodgers’ return gives the Steelers four quarterbacks, with veteran backup Mason Rudolph, second year man Will Howard, and 2026 3rd round draft pick Drew Allar.

How in the world will the Steelers manage 4 quarterbacks?

What kind of monster have Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy created for themselves…?

  • OR something like that. And it’s all nonsense.

The Steelers have dealt with this situation before, as recently as 2018, when they had Ben Roethlisberger, Landry Jones, Joshua Dobbs and Mason Rudolph.

The answer to resolving this four quarterback quandary is the same now as it was then: Let reality unfold at its own pace.

With that understood, there are 4 possible outcomes, none of which should force anyone to fret.

Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar at Steelers OTAs in the spring of 2026

Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar at Steelers OTAs. Photo Credit: Alysa Rubin, Steelers.com

1. Attrition May Make Decisions for Mike McCarthy

Let’s be clear. No NFL coach or General Manager ever wants injuries to make decisions for him. But it happens all the time.

  • Omar Khan alluded to this in his post-draft press conference.

Even though quarterbacks don’t get hit in training camp, the Steelers have seen plenty of quarterbacks injured during the summer.

  • Summer injuries cost Charlie Batch both the 2004 and 2008 seasons.

The Steelers were planning to start Byron Leftwich during Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension in 2010, but Leftwich got hurt. Dennis Dixon started the season and got hurt, and up stepped Charlie Batch – So it was a good thing the Steelers had 4 quarterbacks at their disposal, wasn’t it?

A year later, the Steelers brought the same quartet to St. Vincents, only to have Dennis Dixon get injured and lost for the season – again, math problem solved.

Bruce Gradkowski got hurt in camp in 2015, leading Michael Vick’s stint with the Steelers. Depth is a luxury in the NFL, not a liability. Quarterback is no exception.

2. Let the Preseason Play Speak for Itself

Football isn’t like amateur wrestling, you can’t just wrestle off two quarterbacks to see who is better. But quarterback competitions can tell you a lot.

  • And right now, I’d guess that Mike McCarthy really wishes he was playing 4 preseason games.

[Cue the Dana Carvey-like Grumpy Old Man rant about how NFL errs by devaluing preseason.]

The upside to only having 3 preseason games is that Aaron Rodgers probably won’t play in any of  them, so it frees up reps for everyone else. That should be enough for Rudolph to get his feet wet with the McCarthy’s offense while giving the coaches a good look at Howard and Allar in varied situations.

Ben Roethlisberger, Landry Jones, Mason Rudolph, Joshua Dobbs, Steelers 4 quarterbacks

Can the Steelers keep 4 quarterbacks in 2018? Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Mike Tomlin let his 3 quarterbacks duke it out in summer of 2018 and at the end he decided to cut Landry Jones. Given that Jones was the only backup quarterback with NFL experience, the move raised eyebrows.

But Jones never threw another NFL pass, while Dobbs and Mason Rudolph have made a 34 NFL starts between them.

3. Steelers Have Kept 4 Quarterbacks Before. Why Not Again?

Keeping 4 quarterbacks is unorthodox. But it has been done before. The New England Patriots began the 1989 season with 4 quarterbacks on their active roster, and all four made starts.

The Steelers of course kept 4 quarterbacks in 1995, when they had Neil O’Donnell, Mike Tomczak, Jim Miller and Kordell Stewart. Less well-remembered is 1999, when they did it again keeping Stewart, Tomczak, Pete Gonzalez, and Anthony Wright,. the Steelers “forgotten 4th quarterback.”

Anthony Wright, Steelers

Anthony Wright the Steelers forgotten 4th String Quarterback. Photo Credit: Peter Diana, Post-Gazette

The roster math behind 4 quarterbacks is certainly complicated here in 2026, but Mike McCarthy will have an easier time today than Bill Cowher and Tom Donahoe did in 1995.

For starters, Bill Cowher kept Rod Woodson on the active roster throughout the Steelers 1995 season. And, unlike today, injured reserve ended a player’s season.

So Bill Cowher kept 4 quarterbacks AND an injured player on the active roster all season long and still made it to Super Bowl XXX. So keeping 4 quarterbacks can be done. And if not…

Speaking of injured reserve….

4. Follow the Washington Redshirts’ Example

In the pre-salary cap of the 1980’s Washington was notorious for stashing players on injured reserve. Joe Gibbs and Bobby Bethard had it down to a science.

One ESPN commentator went so far as to refer to them as the “Washington Redshirts.”

They did this with players at every position, but they excelled at doing it with quarterbacks. Both Mark Rypien and Stan Humphries had “Redshirt seasons” on Washington’s IR before going on to start Super Bowls.

So if both Howard and Allar show promise in the summer well then, one of them could end up pulling a groin in late August, couldn’t he….?

The Pittsburgh Steelers will arrive at St. Vincents with a quarterback math problem. But it is a good problem to have and one with several solutions. Let’s just let reality unfold at its own pace.

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5 Quickies on Sloppy Steelers 19-16 Preseason Win Over Panthers

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The Pittsburgh Steelers closed their 2025 preseason by beating the Carolina Panthers 19-16. The scoreboard doesn’t lie and Pittsburgh finished with more points that the Panthers.

  • But the effort hardly felt like a “victory” for the Steelers.

The leaves the question, what can or should we take from the efforts. Let’s take a look.

Yahya Black, Bryce Perkins, Steelers vs Panthers Preseason

Yahya Black sacks Bryce Perkins. Photo Credit: AP via Tribune-Review

1. Tomlin Preseason 2.0 Under the Microscope

When preseason consisted of four games, Mike Tomlin’s MO was pretty standard:

  • Starters got a series (or two) in the first preseason game.
  • Starters got about a quarter in the second preseason game.
  • The third preseason game was the “dress rehearsal” with starters getting close to half
  • He reserved the fourth preseason game backups and roster bubble players

Since the preseason went to 3 games, Tomlin has more or less tried to squeeze that same formula into a 3 game cycle.

This year has  been different. Outside of Keeanu Benton, Troy Fautanu and Broderick Jones, most starters sat out the Steelers preseason game against the Jaguars and the Buccaneers.

And it appeared that most of these starters might sit for the duration, but after Buccaneers game, Tomlin announced that most starters would play, with the exception of Aaron Rodgers, D.K. Metcalf, Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt (minus other players who were injured.)

  • The effort left a lot to be desired.

If there’s one word to describe the Steelers effort against the Panthers it is “Sloppy.”

Penalty flags flew early and often. Mason Rudolph threw and ugly interception. The running game, at least in the first half, still could not get going. In the first two games, defenders swarmed at ball carriers. The Panthers seemed to move the ball pretty well, even if they didn’t score.

The glass half full view here is that this is a chance for the starters to shake off a little rust. The glass half empty is that at this point in the summer, you’d hope and expect a crisper performance from your first-line players.

2. Are Worries about Warren’s Ball Security Warranted?

Jaylen Warren offers a perfect example. For 2 if not 3 years, both fans and the professional press have screamed for Warren to get carries instead of Najee Harris.

  • Warren touched the ball four times and fumbled once.

Warren is stand up guy. He’s so focused he doesn’t take his helmet off during games. The fact that he looked a little rusty isn’t cause for concern.

The fact that he fumbled is. Warren’s ball security issues are well known. It’s entirely possible that this is one of the reasons why he was unable to surpass Harris.

If he’s going to be a true RB No. 1 for the Steelers this year, he must take care of the ball.

3. Might It Be “Miller Time?”

Yancey Thigpen, Yancey Thigpen Terrible Towel, Steelers vs Browns

Yancey Thigpen twirls the Terrible Towel.

Last spring, when the Steelers were searching for the true WR No. 2 that never came, yours truly wondered whether Pittsburgh might have the next Yancey Thigpen hiding on their roster.

Yancey Thigpen of course went from being a special teams player who did some quality spot duty for the 1993 Steelers at wide receiver, to a true, legitimate Super Bowl caliber starting wide out for the 1994 Steelers.

Looking purely at his numbers, Scott Miller seemed like he might be that person in the spring of 2024. But, while he did do well in limited action, he was never anything but s spot-player last season.

He’s had an exceptionally strong camp, and led the team with 3 catches for 82 years. Clearly the kid has secured a roster spot. Now let’s see if he can translate that into something concrete when the games count.

4. Black is the New White?

The big news of the Panthers game was Derrick Harmon’s injury. Word is it is neither overly serious nor season-threatening. Still, you don’t want to see your first round pick go down, but every injury in the NFL creates an opportunity.

Steelers lineman and commentator Trai Essex paid homage to Max Starks, but Starks drew further back to Dwight White.

 

OK. Tributes to Dwight White are premature, but Black looked like a true ass kicker against the Panthers. If you have time, watching Chris Halicke’s video breakdown of Black’s performance.

While the DK on Pittsburgh Sports scribe is quick to point out that Black isn’t doing this against the Panther’s number 1s or even number 2s, his raw strength is on display as well as his technique. It’s a positive sign to see.

5. Is the Sky the Limit for Thompson?

If the Steelers have a preseason MVP, it is 4th string quarterback Skylar Thompson. When Omar Khan signed him in the spring the near universal reaction in Steelers Nation was, “Who?”

By all accounts, he’d been outplayed by Will Howard at St. Vincents, but Howard’s injury opened the door for Thompson to get reps. And he’s taken advantage.

In the 2015 preseason, Landry Jones got extensive worked, and parlayed a strong performance into a roster spot when many had expected him to be shown the door when the summer began. Jones went on to appear in 18 games and make 5 starts for the Steelers over the next three seasons.

  • Has Thompson done enough to force Will Howard to IR for the duration of the season?

Probably not. But assuming Thompson gets a visit from The Turk, he won’t stay unemployed for too long.

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Welcome Back Mason. Steelers Resign Mason Rudolph for 1 Year

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When asked just 11 days ago where Mason Rudolph would play in 2023, Chapter head of the Pittsburgh Pro Football writers association Mark Kaboly assured readers, “It won’t be the Steelers.”

steelers 2019 season, T.J. Watt, Mason Rudolph, Maurkice Pouncey, Zach Banner

Photo Credit: Karl Rosner, Steelers.com

During the team’s recently concluded rookie Mini Camp the Steelers gave Tanner Moran jersey number 2. Many took this as further confirmation that the one-time heir-apparent to Ben Roethlisberger’s days in Pittsburgh were over.

  • And just like that the Steelers resigned Mason Rudolph to a one year contract.

Hum, maybe we should have listened when Omar Khan addressed the press way back on February 28th when he responded to reporter’s asking whether Mason and the Steelers were done, “No, not at all. We have a great relationship, good conversation with Mason. The door is still open.”

Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin left the door open, and Mason Rudolph has decided to walk through it. Although its fair to say that Rudolph’s decision was driven by necessity rather than desire.

While Rudolph (and his agent) couldn’t have been expecting an find an opportunity to start in free agency, a shot at a backup job somewhere seemed reasonable. Apparently, 31 NFL General Managers thought differently.

Actually, make that number 32, because at 10 million dollars a year, Mitch Trubisky is entrenched as the Steelers backup behind Kenny Pickett.

  • Nonetheless this is a good move for both the Steelers and Mason Rudolph.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a team that believes in keeping 3 quarterbacks. Sure, Chuck Noll might have started 1989 with only Bubby Brister and Todd Blackledge on the active roster and Bill Cowher might have begun 1992 with just Bubby behind Neil O’Donnell, but are exceptions.

Mike Tomlin briefly flirted with a 2 quarterback system when he traded Joshua Dobbs after the 2019 season opener. Ben Roethlisberger’s season was over 2 quarters later, and Duck Hodges joined the active roster and was throwing passes before the leaves had begun to fall along Brownsville Road.

Yes, this is a wise move indeed.

Since he arrived in Pittsburgh, Mike Tomlin has carried Dennis Dixon, Charlie Batch, Landry Jones and Devlin Hodges on the active roster as third string quarterbacks and started each of them in meaningful games in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2019.

  • That means once ever three years, Mike Tomlin’s 3rd string quarterback starts a game.

The last time that happened was 2019. So the Steelers are due…

Welcome back Mason Rudolph.

Follow Steelers free agency. Visit our Steelers 2023 Free Agent tracker or click here for all Steelers 2023 free agent focus articles.

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Steelers 2023 Draft Needs @ Quarterback – Does Pittsburgh Pick a 3rd String QB?

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Last year the Pittsburgh Steelers bucked the conventional wisdom that dominate the rest of the NFL: Namely that there were no first round worthy quarterbacks in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Looking no further than their own back yard, Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin begged to differ and the Steelers used a first round pick on a quarterback for the first time since the 2004 NFL Draft.

The draft is almost upon us again – should the Steelers use one of their seven picks on a quarterback in 2023? Let’s take a look.

Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, Steelers vs Seahawks

Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky during preseason. Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY

Steelers Depth Cart at Quarterback: The Starter

Quarterback was a clear need for the Steelers entering the 2022 NFL Draft. Yet, if you take Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin at their word, they never expected to get the one they wanted.

  • When Kenny Pickett fell to them at the 20th pick, they wasted little time in calling his name.

Yes, the franchise that passed on the chance to replace Terry Bradshaw with Pitt-star Dan Marino easily went all in on replacing Ben Roethlisberger with Pitt’s Kenny Pickett.

At first glance, Pickett’s rookie statistics appear quite pedestrian. His record as a starter was 7-5. One of those wins was the upset against the Buccaneers and one of those losses was against the Ravens at home. Both were games where Pickett couldn’t finish due to concussions.

During 2022 Pickett threw 389 passes, completed 245 of them for a 63% completion rate, while throwing 7 touchdowns an 9 interceptions.

  • Yes, those numbers look pedestrian indeed.

But there are also truths that aren’t self-evident in these stats. Only one of those 8 interceptions came before the bye week. And even during that pre-bye week stretch of starts, Pickett’s poise was always present in his play. As Craig Wolfey commented after the loss to the Dolphins, Pickett may have thrown two interceptions in the 4th quarter, but the game never looked too big for him.

And twice, late in the season playing under harsh AFC North winter conditions, Kenny Pickett rallied this team for victory in the 4th quarter, and he looked natural doing it.

Steelers Quarterback Depth Chart: The Backup

One of the Steelers first moves in free agency in the spring of 2022 was to sign Mitch Trubisky to a 2-year contract. As Mike Tomlin later explained, they moved to sign Trubsky to “prevent us from doing something stupid in the draft.”

(That’s a sound strategy, because when you reach, Jarvis Jones or Artie Burns happen.)

  • Extreme highs and extreme lows defined Trubisky’s tenure in 2022.

He looked “OK” in the season-opening upset of the Bengals, but couldn’t rally the team to a victory in a very winnable game against the Patriots. The offense struggled against the Browns and the Jets, which led to his benching, in favor of Pickett.

Yet Trubisky played exceptionally well against the Buccaneers, after Pickett got hurt. But Trubisky was horrible in relief against the Ravens.

But against the Carolina Panthers, with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren running strong, Trubisky did an exceptional job, completing 17 of 22 passes for an economic 179 yards and one touchdown. The kind of performance you’d like and expect to see out of your backup.

The Steelers 2023 Quarterback Draft Needs

Steelers Draft, Steelers Draft Needs scale

Much of the rest of the NFL might consider it quaint, but the Pittsburgh Steelers believe in carrying 3 quarterbacks. And the Mike Tomlin era has seen the Golden Age of Steelers third string quarterbacks, with Dennis Dixon, Charlie Batch, Landry Jones, Devlin Hodges all beginning seasons as third stringers, only to start meaningful games during the year.

Thus far Mason Rudolph remains unsigned and even if the Steelers are open to bringing him back, would he really wanted to serve as a third string quarterback?

We probably won’t know until after the draft.

The Steelers neither have a 5th nor 6th round pick and they are certainly not drafting a quarterback on day one or day two. Could the Steelers find a viable 3rd string quarterback with one of their 2 7th round picks.

  • Stranger things have happened.

With that said, the Steelers need at quarterback going into the 2023 NFL Draft should be considered as Fair.

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Does Steelers + Pats – Ben & Brady = True Test of Tomlin vs. Belichick? Time to Find Out

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When Mike Tomlin’s Pittsburgh Steelers welcome Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots tomorrow at Acrisure Stadium tomorrow it will mark the first Steelers-Pats contest since 1998 without Tom Brady and/or Ben Roethlisberger. 1998. We’ll get to what this means for the coaches in a minute.

Mike Tomlin, Bill Belichick, Mike Tomlin vs. Bill Belichick

Mike Tomlin and Bill Belichick at the then Heinz Field in 2010. Photo Credit: Eagle Tribune.

  • But first, let Brady-Roethlisberger factoid sink in.

While that 1998 Steelers squad did feature rookies  like Hines Ward and Alan Faneca who saw action in the Tomlin-era Steelers-Patriots series, it also had players like Dermontti Dawson and Carnell Lake – who were drafted by Chuck Noll.

  • Yeah, Brady has been tormenting the Steelers for a long time.

But this isn’t a nostalgia piece about Steelers history vs. the Patriots, as we’ve already covered that in detail, but rather one about the interplay between team, individual, and coaching records.

Of Quarterbacks, Records, Rivals and Coaches

As sports fans, we love to talk about So-and-So’s record against Such-and-Such. Numbers don’t lie and sometimes the picture they a cut and dried picture. Tom Brady owned the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Those wins were sweet! But if Steelers fans are to take off their Black and Gold tinted glasses, they’ll see that those wins tell us law of averages than about the completive balance between the two teams.

If you dig a little deeper, you could perhaps say that as legitimate franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger gave the Steelers had a chance against the GOAT. With Kordell Stewart? Not so much. But what about the coaches?

Stephon Tuitt, Tom Brady, Steelers vs Patriots

Stephon Tuitt bears down on Tom Brady. Photo Credit: Geoff Burke, USA TODAY, via Steel City Insider

Those with short memories are likely to conclude that the record proves that Bill Belichick is also better the Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin, because he’s shared in Brady’s success against the Steelers.

  • But is that really accurate?

The one time, in 2008, when Bill Belichick bring Tom Brady to his fight against Mike Tomlin, the Steelers creamed him. In contrast, the onetime Mike Tomlin faced off against Billy Belichick with Landry Jones as his standard bearer, Jones kept the Patriots honest until the Steelers got Gronked.

So just how much could you, or should you untether a coach’s ability from the performance of his franchise quarterback? That’s a hard question to answer. Chuck Noll and Mark Malone  beat Bill Walsh and Joe Montana. Twice.

No one in their right minds would argue that those outcomes suggest that Mark Malone was a better quarterback than Joe Montana. It’s hard to even write that denial without snickering.

Yet, on the flip side, I unhesitatingly use the 1984 Steelers and 1987 Steelers wins over the 49ers as proof that, in terms of pure coaching ability Chuck Noll was at least the equal of not the superior of Bill Walsh (heck with that, Noll was the better than Walsh! To show that I’m not biased, I’ll also cite Joe Gibbs’ 3-0 record over Noll as proof of Gibbs’ superiority.)

  • Without Tom Brady, Bill Belichick’s record against the Steelers is a rather pedestrian 9-3.

That’s right ladies and gentleman. Remember this for Final Jeopardy:

The Answer – “He’s the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback with a perfect record against Bill Belichick.”
The Question – “Who is Bubby Brister?”

Bubster led the Steelers to victory over Bill Belichick’s Browns Chuck Noll’s final game in 1991, and then for an encore closed Bill Cowher’s ’92 Steelers season by quarterbacking Steelers to another win over Cleveland.

Brister, like Brady, Ben and Bill Cowher, is long gone, giving way to Mike Tomlin and Mitch Trubisky vs.Billy Belichick and  Mac Jones. For the record, going into this game Mike Tomlin is 3-7 against Belichick.

Will this downgrading of quarterbacks for both coaches give us a chance to truly gauged one coach’s talent against the other’s?

  • Objectively, probably not.

But if the T.J. Wattless, crappy offensive line Steelers do beat the Patriots tomorrow, you’d better believe this scribe is gonna say its offers evidence that Tomlin is a better coach than Belichick.

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Steelers 2022 Draft Needs @ Quarterback – Don’t Force Trying to Find a Franchise QB

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Quarterback is football’s critical position. This has been true since the modern game abandoned the Single Wing and has only become “more” true in the 21st century.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been blessed by both excellence and stability at the quarterback position for almost two decades.

But while the 2022 off season is still young, the Steelers have been jolted twice with reminders of how fleeting stability at quarterback can be. First, they lost Ben Roethlisberger to retirement. This they expected. Then, tragedy struck, and they lost Dwayne Haskins, to an untimely, horrific death.

Matt Corral, Mike Tomlin, 2022 NFL Draft

Mike Tomlin sizes up Matt Corrall. Photo Credit: Tribune-Review

Steelers Quarterback Depth Chart: The Potential Starters

For the first time since the year summer of 2000, the Steelers will host their first quarterback competition at St. Vincents. Going into the 2022 NFL Draft, the two contestants are veteran Mason Rudolph and free agent Mitchell Turbisky.

In Mason Rudolph the Steelers have a veteran quarterback whom they graded as a first rounder and picked in the 3rd round of the 2018 NFL Draft. In those four years, Mason Rudolph has appeared in 17 games, started 10 of those, and amassed a 5-4-1 record.

  • He’s completed 61.5% of his passes, and thrown 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Mason Rudolph was thrown to the dogs in 2019 when an elbow injury ended Ben Roethlisberger’s season after just 6 quarters.

While he won 5 of his 8 starts, he suffered a concussion, and was the victim of an assault by Myles Garrett on the road  in the infamous “Body Bag Game” against Cleveland. The truth is that Mason looked shaky and tentative – as in Kordell Stewart al la 1999 – after both of those incidents. That led to his benching in favor of Devlin Hodges.

Hodges himself got benched against the New York Jets, and Mason Rudolph looked strong in relief, only to get injured again. He played fairly well in his only start against the Browns at the end of the 2020 season but was only “OK” in the tie against Detroit.

Four years after drafting him, the Steelers still aren’t sold on Mason Rudolph, explaining their decision to sign Mitch Trubisky to a 2 year, prove it deal. The Chicago Bears made Mitch Trubisky the 2nd pick overall in the 2017 NFL Draft.

  • The conventional wisdom on Trubisky is that he’s a bust.

After four years as a starter, including two playoff seasons, no one wanted to give him a second contract, let alone a shot at a starting job (contrast that with the Sam Darnold trade.) Has Trubsiky been that bad? Here are some interesting numbers:

Mitch Trubisky, Ben Roethlisberger,

 

That’s an interesting if not surprising comparison. Ultimately this is a glass-half vs. glass full comparison. Either Trubisky is only a step down from Roethlisberger, or the gulf between a franchise QB and a good QB is truly defined by the margins.

The terms and length of Trubisky’s deal (1 years for about 7 million per year, plus incentives) signal that the Steelers are giving him a chance to prove he’s an NFL starter and nothing else.

Steelers Quarterback Depth Chart: The Backups

The Steelers are new territory here. This is a franchise that not only believes in investing in the backup quarterback position, but also in the third string quarterback slot. As we’ve mused before, in many was the Mike Tomlin era has also been the Golden Age of Steelers 3rd string quarterbacks, with third stringers like Dennis Dixon, Charlie Batch, Landry Jones and Devlin Hodges getting starts.

Joshua Dobbs signed with the Cleveland Browns the day before Dwyane Haskins died, leaving the depth chart behind the two potential starters bare.

The Steelers 2022 Quarterback Draft Needs

Kenny Pickett, Malik Willis, Matt Corral and Desmond Ridder are just a handful of the potential first round picks at quarterback that the Steelers have shown interest in. And for good reason. Both Rudoph and Trubisky have something to prove, and they have no one behind him should both falter.steelers, draft, needs, priority, 2021 NFL Draft

  • Should the Steelers target a quarterback in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft?

Who knows? Seriously, I’m wise enough not to know that I don’t know enough to evaluate college players coming out for the NFL draft. I do know that the conventional wisdom of the “draftnics” is that this a weak quarterback class.

And the backflips that teams are doing to secure and/or keep established starting quarterbacks show that the majority of NFL personnel managers agree.

If one of the top quarterbacks is still on the board when the Steelers are on the clock, Art Rooney II, Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin would be wise to remember point 3 of the 4 Point Road Map to get the Steelers back to the Super Bowl:

But with that said, the focus of this series isn’t on how the Steelers can add, but what their areas of need are. And the Steelers draft needs at quarterback heading into the 2022 NFL Draft must be considered Moderate-High.

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What’s Next for Steelers Free Agent Joshua Dobbs? Another 3rd String Stint or Rocket Science?

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Third string quarterbacks are the NFL’s Mr. Anonymous. Rick Strom was the Steelers third string quarterback from 1989 to 1993, yet even the most rabid, plugged in, season-ticket holding fan from that era would struggle to remember, let alone recognize him.

Yes, some Super Bowl quarterbacks like Joe Theismann, Mark Rypien, Jeff Hostetler, Stan Humphries and Rich Gannon cut their teeth toiling as third stringers for several seasons, but they’re exceptions.

Which brings us to Joshua Dobbs, the Steelers free agent quarterback whose role, if he were to stay in Pittsburgh, would be as a 3rd string quarterback. Will that happen?

Joshua Dobbs, Jacob Philips, Steelers vs Browns

Joshua Dobbs throws a pass. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Capsule Profile of Joshua Dobbs’ Career with the Steelers

The Steeler surprised many when they drafted Joshua Dobbs in the 4th round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Dobbs earned the 3rd string role and while he never suited up, word was he took his preparation and film study seriously.

To the surprise of many, Dobbs’ strong preseason play a year later forced Landry Jones from the team, Mason Rudolph to the virtual reality room as he earned the job of backing up Ben Roethlisberger.

Dobbs saw action twice that year. First in spot duty in Baltimore, where Dobbs audibled out of a play and threw a laser like strike to JuJu Smith-Schuster to convert a 3rd down. He also got the call in the 2nd half in Oakland’s Black Hole against the Raiders and did not look comfortable nor did he play with the same decisiveness.

The Steelers traded him to Jacksonville after their 2019 opening loss to the Patriots, only to see Roethlisberger injured the following week against Seattle. They brought Dobbs back in 2020 where he became the third string quarterback.

  • Dobbs saw action in a wildcatish package role in the Steelers closer against the Browns.

The Steelers resigned him in 2021, but Dobbs got injured in the preseason finale and he spent the season on IR, although he was visible on the sidelines talking with Roethlisberger after each series.

The Case for the Steelers Resigning Joshua Dobbs

Joshua Dobbs by all accounts is a positive presence in the locker room. He knows the Steelers system and, while the sample size is limited, he brought a new dynamism to the offense during his limited action in 2020. Moreover, that package was likely the brainchild of Matt Canada. Having him around would allow Canada explore his potential more.

Better yet, Dobbs provides a veteran presence at the 3rd string quarterback position for the veteran minimum. Sounds like a win-win for everyone.

The Case Against the Steelers Resigning Joshua Dobbs

Joshua Dobbs is a class act. His rocket-scientist turned NFL quarterback is the type of story that Hollywood movies are made of. But none of that earns him a roster spot.

By virtue of playing in the Hall of Fame game, the Steelers had 4 preseason games last year. Joshua Dobbs saw plenty of action, and while he didn’t play poorly, he never passed for more than 40 yards.

  • The Rocket Scientist has found his ceiling, and that is as a 3rd string quarterback.

The Steelers should use his roster spot and salary cap space on someone with more upside.

Curtain’s Call on the Steelers and Joshua Dobbs

Mason Rudolph, Joshua Dobbs, Steelers developing quarterbacks

Mason Rudoph and Joshua Dobbs square off @ St. Vincents. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

A year ago the pro’s and con’s of resigning Joshua Dobbs were largely the same. Yet, there was an intangible that tipped the scale in Joshua Dobbs favor. The Steelers began the 2021 off season by signing Dwayne Haskins.

In word and deed the Steelers make it clear to Haskins that they weren’t handing the former first round pick anything other than a second chance.

  • By bringing Joshua Dobbs back, the Steelers put their money where their mouth was.

That dynamic doesn’t exist today. The conventional wisdom is that the Steelers will either sign a veteran free agent or draft a quarterback to compete with Mason Rudolph for the starting job next summer at St. Vincents. In that context, Dobbs likely role would be as a 4th arm for training camp.

You could do a lot worse than Josha Dobbs for a 4th training camp arm, but the guess here is that Steelers will let Dobbs either follow his NFL dream elsewhere or otherwise being his “Life’s work” as a rocket scientist.

Follow Steelers free agency. Visit our Steelers 2022 Free Agent tracker or click here for all Steelers 2022 free agent focus articles.

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Its Official: Steelers Resign Joshua Dobbs, Notify Haskins He Won’t Be Handed Roster Spot

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Yesterday the Steelers made official the news that broke last week by resigning reserve quarterback Joshua Dobbs. This move follows the second signing announced last week, that saw the return of Vince Williams to Pittsburgh, just weeks after the Steelers cut him for salary cap reasons.

Taken together, the latter move shores up depth at a critical position prior to the 2021 NFL Draft while Joshua Dobbs signing sends an important message to the quarterback’s room.

And, for the second time in a month, the Steelers again show that sometimes it is best when bloggers are slow at the switch.

Joshua Dobbs, Steelers vs Panthers preseason

Joshua Dobbs scores touchdown in preseason. Photo Credit: Karl Rosner, Steelers.com

Haskins Shouldn’t Doubt Dobbs’ Ability to Defy Odds

One of the Steelers first moves this off season was to take a flyer on former first round pick from Washington, Dwayne Haskins. Haskins added a third quarterback to the Steelers roster, making it the first time the Steelers have had two former first round quarterbacks on their roster since Ben Roethlisberger and Tommy Maddox held spots in 2005.

  • And, to the uneducated eye, Haskins’ arrive seemed to complete the Steelers quarterback room.

With Ben Roethlisberger returning and Mason Rudolph backing him up, why would the Steelers really need another quarterback, right?

Wrong. The Steelers like Joshua Dobbs, the quarterback who moonlights as a rocket scientist. The coaches like him and so do the players – notice Dobbs sitting with a tablet next to Ben Roethlisberger thought the 2020 season.

When the Steelers drafted Mason Rudolph in 2019, everyone assumed that Joshua Dobbs was the odd man out, going into preseason. After all, they’d sent 5 years developing Landry Jones to be a back up, and Mason Rudolph was set to learn below him.

Yet, as Joshua Dobbs was one of the players who Mike Tomlin praised for “leaning in” during the 2018 preseason finale and earned himself a roster spot.

Word is that the Steelers like Haskins talent, and they’re taking a flyer on him to see if he can match that talent with the discipline needed to succeed in the NFL. But had the Steelers followed the conventional wisdom and stood pat with their 3 quarterbacks, only adding the proverbial 4th arm, Haskins could arrive at St. Vincents in comfort.

  • With Joshua Dobbs in the quarterback room, he will not have the luxury.

Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert have served notice to Dwayne Haskins that he will have to earn is roster spot.

Vince Williams Breaks Precedent

The Steelers don’t often cut home grown players in salary cap moves. As Steel City Insider’s Ian Whetstone has pointed out, they lead the league in fulfillment of 2nd and 3rd contracts for drafted players.

But when they do do it, there almost always the caveat: He could come back for less.

  • Except they never do.

But Vince Williams did. Vince Williams took less money to stay in Pittsburgh, and that’s good for the Steelers. Its also good for this blogger, because yours truly never got around to writing an article on his departure and documenting his career as a Steeler.

The article was to be titled, “I Only Realized Vince Williams was the Steelers Linebacker I’ve Been Waiting for Until he Was Gone.” And for the second time in the off season, the last one being Tyson Alualu’s reversal and return to Pittsburgh, delays in getting “Content” published has its upsides.

Even better than that, Vince Williams still has more to add to his Steelers story.

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Steelers Free Agent Joshua Dobbs: Will the Rocket Scientist Return to Pittsburgh?

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The life of an NFL third string quarterback is by definition, nondescript. About the only player on the roster who remains more anonymous is the long snapper. Wanna prove it? Ask a lifelong Steelers season ticket holder who never missed a game at Three Rivers Stadium during the ’80s and ’90s:  “Who wore Number 11 from 1989 through 1992?”

  • You’ll almost certainly draw a blank, although the answer is “Rick Strom.”

No one remembers Rick Strom today and, I’d bet, few could have named him at the height of his clipboard holding days. That makes Joshua Dobbs, the Steelers incumbent third string quarterback unique.

  • Fans know his name – that’s a bit unusual, but not every team has a rocket scientist as its third string quarterback.

The question is, will Joshua Dobbs the Rocket Scientist turned quarterback who is reaching unrestricted free agency return to Pittsburgh?

Joshua Dobbs, Jacob Philips, Steelers vs Browns

Joshua Dobbs throws a pass. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Capsule Profile of Joshua Dobbs’ Career with the Steelers

The Steelers surprised some when they drafted Joshua Dobbs in the 4th round of the 2017 NFL Draft. The move was a surprise because Landry Jones had developed in to a competent backup, while former NFL starter Zach Mettenberger had done a year of apprenticeship as the 3rd string QB.

Dobbs was inactive his rookie year, but by all accounts, he did everything a third stringer could do to prepare. Things didn’t look good for Joshua Dobbs when the Steelers commenced camp at St. Vincents in the summer of 2018, as Pittsburgh has just drafted Mason Rudolph.

The Steelers had only kept 4 quarterbacks twice in their history – how could Joshua Dobbs hope to survive?

  • Joshua Dobb didn’t just survive the summer at St. Vincents, he thrived.

Dobbs forced Landry Jones from the team and established himself as the number 1 backup behind Ben Roethlisberger. In that capacity he saw action twice. First in the road win against the Ravens where Dobbs came in for one play, audibled out of a run, and fired a laser like strike to JuJu Smith-Schuster and converted a 3rd down.

  • The second time came in the Black Hole at Oakland, where Dobbs started the second half and looked tentative.

Joshua Dobbs’ development plateaued in the summer of 2019, and the Steelers dealt him to the Jacksonville Jaguars following week 1 of 2019. It was a decision they would regret, as they quickly claimed him off of waivers less than a year later. Dobbs remained in street clothes throughout 2020, until the season finale at Cleveland, where the Steelers deployed a special package of plays for Dobbs.

With Dobbs delivered a dynamism to the offense completing 4 of 5 shovel passes and rushing twice for 20 yards, prompting questions about whether he’d get a helmet in the playoffs. He did not.

The Case for the Steelers Resigning Joshua Dobbs 2021

The fact that fans know his name says a lot. True, Joshua Dobbs hasn’t been battle tested much, but he’s proven far more than most NFL third stringers. He’s good to have in the locker room, is a student of the game and delivers immediate athleticism to the depth chart.

  • Best yet, they’ll be no bidding war for Joshua Dobbs services.

The Steelers can bring him back at the veteran minimum to complete with Dwyane Haskins and they should. After all, this is the Golden Age of Steelers Third String Quarterbacks as QB Number 3 has been pressed into non-mop up action multiple times in the Roethlisberger era.

The Case Against the Steelers Resigning Joshua Dobbs in 2021

Ben Roethlisberger is about to begin his “Life’s Work.” Mason Rudolph is the heir apparent, and the Steelers have taken a flyer on Dwayne Haskins. Dobbs’ upside is dwarfed by Dwayne Haskins’.

  • The idea of the Steelers keeping 4 quarterback for a 3rd time simply isn’t feasible.

With that in mind, Joshua Dobbs deserves a chance to sign somewhere where he has a shot at being a backup quarterback and the Steelers should use his roster spot and precious salary cap space on someone else.

Curtain’s Call on the Steelers and Joshua Dobbs in 2021

The Steelers decision to sign Dwayne Haskins would appear to doom Joshua Dobbs’ chances of returning to Pittsburgh. But appearances can be deceiving. The Steelers aren’t doing anything else on Haskins other than taking a flyer on a talented player with a troubled past.

  • They’ve done this enough times to know there’s usually a reason why a former first round pick is unemployed in February after just two years in the league.

With that said, the Steelers have very limited salary cap space to work with and the smart money says they’ll invest those dollars outside their quarterback depth chart. Look for Joshua Dobbs the rocket scientist to land somewhere outside of Pittsburgh in free agency.

Has Steelers free agency left you scrambling? Click here for our Steelers 2021 Free Agent tracker or click here for all Steelers 2021 free agency focus articles.

 

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Attention Steelers Nation: No Need to Let Ben Roethlisberger’s End Mimic Terry Bradhsaw’s Beginning

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I have to admit, I’m starting to understand the Blond Bomber’s beef with the Steel City.

It is no secret that Pittsburgh’s prodigal son, Terry Bradshaw enjoys a tortuous, love-feeling unloved relationship with the Steelers and Steelers Nation. There’s a reason why Tony Defeo’s piece “Wouldn’t It Be Nice If Terry Bradshaw Made Up with the Steelers. For Good…” is one of this site’s top performing inbound articles.

To be clear, I have always and will always defend Terry Bradshaw as a player against those who charge that he was “Dumb” or “just an average quarterback lucky to be on a good team” (if you really believe that, Google “60 Prevent Slot Hook & Go” and tell me an “average” quarterback could make that throw.)

But Bradshaw’s whining about how Chuck Noll or Steelers fans treated him has always fallen flat with me.

  • That is starting to change, a little at least.

And you can thank Ben Roethlisberger for that. Or more precisely, you can thank Steelers Nation’s reaction to Ben Roethlisberger approaching his “Life’s Work” for that.

Ben Roethlisberger, Terry Bradshaw

Image Credit: 274 Sports Pittsburgh

Steelers Nation Turns on Big Ben

There’s no doubt that Ben Roethlisberger is past his prime. Once his signature, he struggles with the long ball. He’s in decline and the only question is can this decline be managed/slowed long enough for the Steelers to squeeze a seventh Lombardi from Number Seven out of his arm?

  • The answer to that could very well be “No.” I get it.

But what I don’t get is the way some fans have turned on him. This tweet provides a perfect taste of what I’m talking about:

So based on his body of work in 2020 Ben Roethlisberger is now “average” or “below average?” Really? Let’s put that hypothesis through a simple exercise.

Can you imagine, Tommy Maddox, Charlie Batch, Byron Leftwich, Dennis Dixon, Bruce Gradkowski, Landry Jones, Michael Vick, Mason Rudolph or Devlin Hodges – or all the other quarterbacks that have thrown a pass for the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2004 — starting a playoff game by throwing 3 interceptions in one quarter?

I can, particularly if Diontae Johnson is bouncing letting catchable balls off of his hands towards waiting defensive backs.

Now, can you imagine any of those players going 38-51-3-1 for 435 yards for the rest of the game? In his prime, Vick might have, but by the time he became a Steeler? No way. Neither could any of the others.

  • This is a statement of fact.

Moreover, this statement of fact references Ben Roethlisberger’s current capabilities, not Big Ben of yesteryear. That that’s the rub with treatment Ben Roethlisberger is getting from wide-swaths of fans in Steelers Nation.

  • The idea that Ben Roetlisberger has completely lost it, frankly isn’t fair.

Nor are arguments that suggest Ben Roethlisberger has and will continue to sabotage the offense. Here’s a perfect “Ben is hostile to the running game” quote for Steel City Insider’s message board:

As long as he is around they will not have a run game he is the reason why we lost the 2 playoffs game.

Le'Veon Bell, Le'Veon Bell ball security, Le'Veon Bell fumble, Steelers vs Titans

Le’Veon Bell in 2017 vs. the Titans. Photo Credit: Yahoo! Sports

True, Ben’s turnovers represented critical mistakes in both playoff losses. But Le’Veon Bell logged 16 rushes against Jacksonville, and the Steelers defense was AWOL at turn-key moments in both defeats. So Ben was hardly “the reason why we lost the 2 playoff games.”

This “Ben hates the run” mentality extends to the regular season as well as evidenced by another comment from the same message board:

I’d only be willing to do this if he agreed to run an offense that DOESN’T throw 600 passes a year with at least 350 of them short of the first down line. I don’t want to watch this ridiculous offense he has insisted on running since 2018.

Objectively, he’s got the numbers going for him. But the key phrase above is “offense he has insisted on running since 2018.” Really? If Ben was “insisting” on running a pass-heavy offense, then why was James Conner was on track to have a 378 touch season until it became clear that the Le’Veon Bell holdout would be permanent?

The Steelers abandonment of the run in 2018, 2018 and 2019 for that matter was driven by necessity not desire. Ben Roethlisberger may not have objected to this, but it certainly wasn’t his decision.

No Need to End Big Ben’s Time the Way Bradshaw Began His

This post began by referencing the rift between Terry Bradshaw and the Steelers. That’s a one sided rift if there ever was one. If Terry Bradshaw ever decided to “come home,” fans in Pittsburgh and Steelers Nation at large would embrace him with enough enthusiasm to put the Prodigal Son’s father to shame.

  • But it is also true that early in his career, the fans were brutal on Bradshaw.

That brutal treatment left a scar on Bradshaw’s soul that he’s unable heal because he’s unwilling to heal it. But the scar never should have been made in the first place.

  • In contrast, the team, the city and the fans embraced Ben Roethlisberger from the moment he arrived.
  • His early career isn’t marred by scars, but adulation.

The cross roads that Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves at is a difficult one. There’s no need to complicate things with criticisms and characterizations that simply aren’t true. Just as there’s no need to end Ben Roethlisberger’s career by adding the type of scars that marked Terry Bradshaw’s beginning.

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