If the Steelers put any money where their mouth is with Brendan Sorsby, don’t expect it to be much, Ray Fittipaldo says. The talented but tumultuous Cincinnati quarterback, Sorsby is set to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft. Talent-wise, he would be in the first-round conversation. Judgement-wise, he is closer to Diego Pavia
The Steelers have some young quarterback they want to develop in Will Howard and Drew Allar, but if they believe Brendan Sorsby has the talent to be a franchise quarterback, would they shy away because of what they already have? Even if they wouldn’t, Sorsby’s off-field concerns could frighten them away. Or at least tighten their purse strings.
“Some other team’s gonna probably do a second or third, but I think for the Steelers to do it, just because of what they’ve done the last two years with Will Howard and Drew Allar, I would say fifth, sixth, somewhere in that range”, Ray Fittipaldo said of what he believes Pittsburgh might consider investing in Brendan Sorsby, via the Steelers Collective.
The Steelers have never taken a player in the Supplemental Draft, and there hasn’t even been one in years, but Sorsby and his tribulations have suddenly made it very relevant again. Any team with a need at quarterback would be wise, at least, to do their due diligence. Sorsby clearly had a bad gambling problem, and he let it get out of control. But plenty of people in the league have done worse things, if we’re being honest.
Sorsby will hold a workout shortly before the Supplemental Draft takes place, but will the Steelers attend? That’s what Fittipaldo wants to find out. “Is Mike McCarthy gonna go or is there gonna be some other front office executive?”, he said. “Now, if it’s Omar Khan, you can say, ‘Okay, there’s gonna be some interest’. Andy Weidl, ‘Okay, yeah, there’s some interest’. But if there’s some low-level scout that people outside the team have never heard of, then that could probably tell you what the Steelers are thinking”.
“I will say Brendan Sorsby will not end up with the Steelers, but if they did, I think it would be a fifth-round pick”, he concluded.
For what it’s worth, draft analysts such as Lance Zierlein do see starting talent in Sorsby. Last season, he went 207-for-336 for the Bearcats for 2,800 yards with 27 touchdowns to 5 interceptions. Those numbers aren’t going to get into any record books, but they’re impressive nonetheless. He ranked first in the conference in adjusted yards per attempt, yards per completion, and quarterback rating. And in the NFL, one hopes, he’ll have less time to gamble and more time to study.
I watched Brendan Sorsby and wrote him up a couple of weeks ago in anticipation of him entering the supplemental draft. Here is how I saw him. Gave him a 6.24 grade which is average NFL starter. pic.twitter.com/6J7qI2FK56
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) June 16, 2026
But should the Steelers be the ones to roll the dice on Sorsby? Is that even an option that they’re seriously considering? How closely will they look into him, especially in anticipation for next year’s quarterback draft class? They’ll have to weigh that against how he compares to those coming down the chute a year from now.
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