The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac revealed some worrisome news about the state of the Steelers locker room. Pittsburgh doesn’t have a clear-cut No. 1 quarterback.
“There appears to be some internal division that maybe Mason Rudolph should be the starter,” Dulac said.
And to make matters worse, Dulac also revealed that the Steelers “are not interested in bringing in a quarterback who wants to be a starter.”
That may come as a surprise to some, however, after team president Art Rooney II was open to the idea earlier this month.
“Well, you know, as we sit here early February, we’re not closing the door on anything,” Rooney II said. “We have a lot of evaluations to go through and we’ll go through all the options and do what we need to do to be better this coming season.”
But if that is no longer the case, NBC Sports’ Peter King thinks Pittsburgh is making a huge mistake.
“Come again? In a division with Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson, the Steelers would actually choose to enter camp with Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph (should he sign in free agency with Pittsburgh),” King writes. “That sounds like a colossal misjudgment of your quarterback position.”
King makes a good point. Pickett has thrown just 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 25 games. And although Rudolph finished the year strong, passing for 945 yards, five touchdowns and one interception in the Steelers’ final four games, it’s pretty clear what his ceiling is.
It still feels likely that Rudolph will choose to have a fresh start elsewhere, but that doesn’t mean Pittsburgh should run it back with Pickett and some other veteran backup either.
The Steelers have a talented roster outside of the position and they are heading into an offseason with several good options. Veteran quarterbacks Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields will all reportedly be available while the 2024 NFL Draft is also rich with quarterback talent.
This isn’t to say Pittsburgh’s 2024 season will be a failure if Pickett returns as the team’s starter. Head coach Mike Tomlin will always have his team contending for the playoffs.
But the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016 or contended for a Super Bowl in over a decade. And that won’t change without a change at quarterback.
