Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has done tremendous work for the Pittsburgh Steelers during his storied 13 season career with the team, but it’s safe to assume he won’t be playing much longer.
This reality is something the black and gold need to begin addressing right now as they evaluate the future at their quarterback position.
Head coach Mike Tomlin has made it clear he’s aware of the pressing issue, saying the Steelers would pay “special attention” to it at the NFL owners meeting in March.
If Roethlisberger were to depart from the league today, the Steelers would be left with an unreliable Landry Jones – whom they recently re-signed to a two year contract – and Zach Mettenberger, who has yet to play a single down for Pittsburgh thus far.
It is unclear whether or not the Steelers will hold on to both players for the entirety of next season.
Considering the visits the team has held earlier this year- and the number of pro days they’ve attended- it seems the Steelers are serious about the idea of picking up a young quarterback in the 2017 NFL draft and developing him behind Roethlisberger.
Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Tennessee signal caller Josh Dobbs have both visited the Steelers facilities recently, and have even met with Big Ben himself.
Both quarterbacks are a lot like Roethlisberger in terms of size, arm strength and ability to throw on the run. These qualities make them viable candidates to be developed behind the current Pittsburgh starter.
In his final season with Tech, Mahomes threw for 5,052 yards, completing 388 of his 591 passes. 41 of those resulted in a touchdown, and only 10 were interceptions.
Dobbs also had a solid senior season, throwing for 2,946 yards, completing 225 of 357 attempted passes. He racked up a total of 27 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Expect to see the Steelers pick up a signal-caller like Mahomes or Dobbs in the later rounds of this year’s draft.
Crissy Froyd is a student residing in Spring,Texas. She currently covers sports for The Bank, USA TODAY SMG and SB Nation. Her work has also been featured on FOXsports.com and Yahoo! Sports. Crissy is enrolled at Stephen F. Austin State University, and is majoring in Mass Communications.
Find her on Twitter @crissy_froyd.