The Pittsburgh Steelers have a major set challenges facing them for the offseason of 2019 after they managed to miss the postseason for the first time in five years. The failure has been taken especially grievously because of the fact that the team was in position to control their own fate even for homefield advantage with six games remaining before dropping four games.
And so they find themselves getting the exit meeting process underway at least two weeks earlier than they have had to in years, since they have made it to at least the Divisional Round since 2015. Hopefully they used those extra two weeks with purpose.
While we might not know all the details about what goes on between Head Coach Mike Tomlin and his players during these exit meetings, we do know how we would conduct those meetings if they were let up to us. So here are the Depot’s exit meetings for the Steelers’ roster following the 2018 season.
Player: Joshua Dobbs
Position: Qaurterback
Experience: 2 Years
Now that we’ve wrapped up all of the offensive and defensive starters, it’s time to circle back and dig into the Steelers’ depth chart, and in doing so we might as well work back to the beginning, at the quarterback position.
Since the middle of the 2015 season, Landry Jones had been the Steelers’ backup quarterback. A former 2013 fourth-round draft pick, he improved in each year that he got the opportunity to play, to the point at which he was seemingly a trusted backup. Ben Roethlisberger certainly valued him.
That was not enough to save his job, however, when Joshua Dobbs performed well in the preseason of 2018. Because they used a third-round pick on Mason Rudolph, eying him for the future, there was only one spot left, and Dobbs got it instead of Jones, who was released after five seasons.
Dobbs fortunately didn’t have to play much, but his performance in one of the games that he did play did help them lose to arguably the worst team in the NFL in the Oakland Raiders. When Roethlisberger suffered an injury of unknown severity in the first half, Dobbs came in to start the second, and he had a great deal of trouble moving the offense.
While he did scramble for a couple of first downs, his accuracy and decision-making were poor, missing or being late on throws and putting the ball in less than ideal spots for his targets to make plays. Eventually the Raiders took the lead, and Roethlisberger had to be re-inserted.
That wiped off quite a bit of the sheen of a 23-yard completion on second and 22 on his one prior snap against the Baltimore Ravens. It was a nice throw, but arguably one that shouldn’t have been made. Eric Weddle even said that he believed he played it so well that he didn’t have to worry about the quarterback making that throw.
It’s unlikely—at least I hope—that the Steelers draft yet another quarterback, so there should still be a roster spot for Dobbs in 2019 no matter what happens, entering his third season. But surely the team would like to see Rudolph ascend to that backup role.
