When the dust settled on the quarterback carousel in free agency, it looked like the Pittsburgh Steelers found the solution to their play caller vacancy by default. After all, a team that had lost two starting quarterbacks could not get too picky.
The Steelers lost Russell Wilson to the New York Giants and Justin Fields to the New York Jets. They did return Mason Rudolph after his one year with the Tennessee Titans though he is not a solidified QB1 for this team.
The quarterback fallout around the league left Pittsburgh with Aaron Rodgers as that default best available piece to complete their offense. However, the likelihood of that move slimmed this week when Rodgers declared on The Pat McAfee Show that he was not ready to commit to any decision on his future.
So with an unsightly quarterback depth chart of Rudolph and Skylar Thompson, the Steelers now set their sights on the NFL Draft to potentially provide another alternative.
This week, ESPN’s Field Yates and Mel Kiper Jr. put out a combined mock draft, projecting some answers for the Steelers. They predict the Steelers trading up in the third round from No. 83 overall to No. 68 in a move with the Las Vegas Raiders to pick Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe.
“They should draft a quarterback for the long term, but they might need to draft a quarterback for the short term, too. Milroe has the arm to hit DK Metcalf and George Pickens downfield, and he can take off as a runner when he gets an opening.”
Looking at the context of this selection there is good reason for the Steelers to both move up the board and take Milroe. Pittsburgh will have an opportunity to address any other roster need with their first-selection and are solid elsewhere on the roster.
This should give them some freedom on Day 2 and beyond to take a chance on quarterback. Milroe’s skillset will certainly need some polishing for the professional game, but he should have a system around him that could help him flourish on the field.
That would mean his beating out Rudolph for the job in the offseason which makes for another hurdle, but its hard to imagine the Steelers not giving him a real chance to prove himself.
The best free agents have come off the board and the Rodgers waiting game is a losing game. The draft is Pittsburgh’s best option to solve their quarterback woes.
