Now that the 2021 offseason has begun, following yet another year of disappointment, a fourth consecutive season with no postseason victories, it’s time to take stock of where the Pittsburgh Steelers stand. Specifically where Steelers players stand individually based on what we are seeing over the course of the offseason as it plays out. We will also be reviewing players based on their previous season and their prospects for the future.
A stock evaluation can take a couple of different approaches and I’ll try to make clear my reasonings. In some cases it will be based on more long-term trends. In other instances it will be a direct response to something that just happened. So we can see a player more than once over the course of the season as we move forward.
Player: QB Dwayne Haskins
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: This stock evaluation is in direct response to comments made by general manager Kevin Colbert earlier in the week, not just expressing anticipation to see what the young quarterback can do in Pittsburgh, but also affirming that they did have a high draft grade on him when he came out of college in 2019.
Unless or until something changes, right now, Dwayne Haskins is your QB3 in Pittsburgh. They have already allowed Devlin Hodges to swim away, landing himself out west with the Chargers. While Joshua Dobbs is technically still signed through the middle of March, he will be an unrestricted free agent at the start of the new league year, and there have been no clear signs that their intention is to re-sign him.
That leaves Ben Roethlisberger and Mason Rudolph, as expected, in the number one and two slots, barring further developments, and Haskins as the last man standing, after having been signed to a futures contract for a minimum salary.
A 2019 first-round draft pick by Washington, the former Ohio State slinger put up big numbers in his lone season as a starter for the Buckeyes, but has failed and then some to live up to his college tape over 16 professional starts in the past two seasons.
With both on- and off-field concerns following him to Pittsburgh, I wouldn’t say that there is a great deal of optimism around his signing, but even Colbert was quick to point out in his remarks that it was a low-risk deal. If he doesn’t fit as their number three quarterback, it’s really no loss for them, and the upside, I suppose if we allow for that, is a potential future franchise piece.
I think the price of admission for that ride is worth it given the potential thrills it can provide, even if it might not even work. At least the Steelers found him intriguing enough to kick the tires, and that’s the place to start.
