The Pittsburgh Steelers are no closer to designing their road out of their quarterback issue, as the team is internally divided over continuing with Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are perplexed by their quarterback position. According to reports, the franchise is torn between keeping Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph and bringing in a big name like Justin Fields, Kirk Cousins, Ryan Tannehill, or Russell Wilson.
The Steelers used three different quarterbacks this season and are now considering dealing or drafting a new starter, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Some members of the organization believe Rudolph should be the starting quarterback because he won all three games before the playoff defeat to the Buffalo Bills. Pickett was the starting quarterback for the majority of the games until he was injured, and backup Mitch Trubisky also played.
But the Steelers have already said goodbye to Trubisky, and Rudolph may leave after his contract expires, leaving them low on quarterbacks. They are interested in Chicago Bears quarterback Fields, but they will have to trade for him.
The Bears have the first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and must decide whether to take Caleb Williams or maintain Fields and maybe add Marvin Harrison Jr. to their wide outs.
Cousins and Tannehill, who are due to become free agents, are also options, as is Wilson of the Denver Broncos, who is slated to leave the organization. It’s unlikely that they’ll choose another quarterback, especially given Pickett only joined in 2022.
The Steelers will need to add additional guys behind Joey Porter Jr. and Patrick Peterson at cornerback, and they may also need to fortify their offensive line. Fields is especially liked by Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
Adam Schefter of ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” revealed this. He stated, “We know the Pittsburgh [Steelers] will go out and grab some type of quarterback.
“It could be Ryan Tannehill, Russell Wilson, or Justin Fields. Mike Tomlin is a huge supporter of Justin Fields. We’ll keep it in mind over the offseason and in the following weeks.
Head coach Tomlin’s future could also be a factor, as the 51-year-old faced doubts last season. Tomlin has not delivered a Super Bowl to Pittsburgh since the 2008 season, and the team’s “standards” have been questioned, despite the franchise’s joint-record Lombardi Trophy haul.
Legendary Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward stated, “The standard in Pittsburgh is all about winning Super Bowls.” “We’re extremely fortunate.” He continued, “We won six Super Bowls in our group…. But we haven’t won in a while, so that’s probably the one thing that [Tomlin] is missing from his list of great accomplishments: bringing another Super Bowl back to Pittsburgh.”
