Cleveland Browns fans’ dislike of the Pittsburgh Steelers is strong. Once Minkah Fitzpatrick hurt Nick Chubb and TJ Watt whined on social media that he lost Defensive Player of the Year to Myles Garrett, the level of vitriol hit new heights.
In a lot of ways, the Browns and Steelers are in the same place going into 2024. Both teams made the playoffs in 2023 but were taken out in the opening round. The AFC North rivals have huge question marks at the quarterback position and changed offensive coordinators in the offseason.
Pittsburgh just released QB Mitch Trubisky as the start of its change at the most important position on the field. Cleveland knows that QB Deshaun Watson is their guy moving forward but his up-and-down play and injuries last season create concern.
A Steelers columnist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, in his mailbag, had the idea to trade Watt to move up to address the team’s longstanding QB issue:
Dear Dr. Starkey, would you give a “monster” offer to the Bears so you can draft Caleb Williams? Otherwise, could be stuck in mediocrity for the next 15 years… I’d do it since stellar QB play is almost the minimum required to compete. Thanks!
Starkey: I actually think Drake Maye is the better prospect, Dr. M (and thank you for the kind salutation), but if the question is, would I move mountains — or T.J. Watt — to get the right quarterback? Of course I would.
Wouldn’t you?
The Steelers are built around edge rushers and running backs, two positions that the two dynastic AFC teams of this century — Patriots and Chiefs — mostly used interchangeably when they were doing most of their winning.
It is a very interesting thought process from Joe Starkey. Pittsburgh is unlikely to go very far without a quarterback and Watt likely brings back the largest return. This year’s NFL draft is expected to have at least two or three top-level quarterbacks that could potentially solve their problem.
In the end, the NFL is about having a very good to great quarterback and a good team around them. The Steelers have a good team and no identity at quarterback. Everything, including trading Watt, should be on the table but we know that it is unlikely that they would ever trade their star defender.
