When Ben Roethlisberger took over as the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2004, he stepped into an ideal situation for success. He had three Pro Bowlers on the offensive line, plenty of weapons to distribute the ball to, and one of the league’s top defenses. If they play their cards right, they can build toward a similar transition with QB Will Howard at the helm.
Roethlisberger urged the Steelers to take that approach over the next couple seasons.
“If [Aaron Rodgers] decides, ‘Hey, I’m done. I’m gonna do my thing,’ I would absolutely still not draft a guy in the first round. I would ride with Will Howard for a couple years, give him a chance, keep building this team around him,” Roethlisberger said via Deebo & Joe on YouTube. “I would go O-line first in the draft, get a guard, and I would just absolutely build this team around Will Howard right now.
“And if it doesn’t work, guess what? In two years, the draft is loaded with quarterbacks. Go get a guy in the first round because it didn’t work with Will. You’re probably going to be drafting higher.”
The fan base is split on the idea of starting Howard, but many agree with Roethlisberger’s larger point of building up the team and not worrying too much about winning immediately with a longer-term vision of getting a franchise quarterback.
Either Will Howard becomes the next 10-year quarterback in Pittsburgh, or he’s the next Tommy Maddox who helps keep the franchise afloat until a high draft pick fixes the position once and for all.
This isn’t the first time Roethlisberger has vouched for Will Howard, and most signs within the organization seem to also be pointing in that direction. Omar Khan, Art Rooney II and Mike McCarthy have all mentioned him this offseason.
You know the information is solid when both the local and national media folks agree that Howard is the backup plan. It’s either the best smokescreen of all time, or what they’re saying about Howard is true.
So, what would building the team around Howard look like? The offense is only a piece or two away from having everything it needs for the next quarterback. With Isaac Seumalo out the door in free agency and uncertainty at left tackle, those two positions are high priorities to get right. Just a few years ago the Steelers had virtually zero positions figured out on offense. Now, it feels like they are a lineman (or two) and a quarterback away.
“I would absolutely go O-line,” Roethlisberger doubled down. “I don’t think you can ever have enough O-linemen.”
At pick No. 21, the ideal scenario may be Penn State’s Vega Ioane. If he’s not available, Oregon’s Emmanuel Pregnon is the next-best guard. If Ioane is gone, tackle could make sense with Broderick Jones’ injury and Dylan Cook’s inexperience.
When the time comes for the next quarterback to take over, the Steelers will be much closer to the 2004 perfect scenario for Roethlisberger than the 2022 nightmare for Kenny Pickett.
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