Across their offense, the Pittsburgh Steelers have some holes to fill this offseason. First and foremost, they need to find their next franchise quarterback. And more receiving help is necessary, regardless of who ends up throwing the ball.
However, those answers aren’t very clear this offseason, especially at quarterback. Rodgers is the Steelers’ first priority, but he’s obviously not the future of the position. Malik Willis is enticing, yet potentially expensive and definitely risky in free agency. The Steelers could roll with Will Howard, an idea Ben Roethlisberger supports, but there’s always risk when you hand the keys to a sixth-round pick.
To Roethlisberger, that kind of risk isn’t a bad thing. If it leads to a couple of down years, he thinks that could help the Steelers in the long run.
“Are you okay having one or two subpar, under-.500 years? In order to have something in the next three to five, that can, ‘hey, we have a real shot here’. So personally, I’m okay being like, let’s build this team, let’s get our hiccups,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday on his Footbahlin podcast. “You can build so that in three to five years, it’s like ‘hey, we’re one of the favorites’.”
The idea of a retool has become popular amongst Steelers fans, and it’s not hard to see why. You can only run it back and go 10-7 so many times before people start wanting a change. Some want the Steelers to tank specifically for a quarterback, with the 2027 draft class looking loaded at the position.
It certainly doesn’t hurt to pick in the top half of the first round, something the Steelers aren’t used to. Players like Caleb Downs, Carnell Tate and Jeremiyah Love aren’t falling to the 21st pick very often. Having a down year or two would give the Steelers a better chance at grabbing elite prospects like that.
The Steelers especially need those on offense, where Roethlisberger thinks they should focus from now on.
“Well, maybe it’s time they build up this offense, and spend a lot of money on offense,” Roethlisberger said. “Focus on the offense, and then fill your defense in.”
The Steelers have spent a ton of money on defense, which has earned them plenty of criticism given how that unit played last year. Roethlisberger isn’t wrong for wanting them to focus on the offense.
At this point, that’s something they have to do. The franchise knows it needs help at receiver, interviewing plenty during last week’s combine. They could also try to bring Kenneth Gainwell back, and if they don’t, potentially another running back takes his place. If Isaac Seumalo leaves, the Steelers will need an answer at left guard, too.
With Mike McCarthy in the building, Roethlisberger’s wish for the Steelers to spend more on the offense will probably come true. They’re going to have to find their next quarterback before any real success comes along, but the Steelers need an injection of talent across the offense to become true contenders.
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