The last time that we took a look back at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster in review, it was weeks before the 2021 NFL Draft took place. It would be safe to say that quite a bit has changed since then. The changes apply to almost every position on the roster. Some are major changes and some minor, though some have remained largely static.
We are closing in on the opening of the Steelers’ several weeks of training camp. This year, it’s back at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. It would be a good time to pause and take stock of where the team stands at each position as we head into the most critical process of the offseason.
Position: Quarterback
Total Positional Figure: 4
Additions: 0
Deletions: 0
Players Retained:
Ben Roethlisberger: The only question at this point is whether or not this is Roethlisberger’s last rodeo. That’s not a question that is going to be answered any time soon, and will hinge on his play this year. The 2021 season certainly belongs to him, barring some drastic fall-off or injury.
Mason Rudolph: Rudolph was given a one-year contract extension earlier this offseason that places him under contract for 2022. With the Steelers not addressing the quarterback position in the draft, that sets him up to be the starter next year if Roethlisberger is not brought back and everything else remains status quo.
Joshua Dobbs: After some initial delay, the Steelers did decide to re-sign Joshua Dobbs, who is entering his fifth season with the Steelers (even if he spent most of the 2019 season in Jacksonville). He will battle Dwayne Haskins for the third quarterback job, which belonged to him last year.
Dwayne Haskins: Signed to a futures deal in January, Haskins has gotten off to a generally good start, according to the various impressions we’ve gotten from teammates, coaches, and beat writers. He might not have blown people away on the field, but he is said to have looked the part, and his off-field approach has been well-regarded.
Players Added: N/A
Players Lost: N/A
Notes and Camp Outlook:
The Steelers elected not to take a quarterback in the draft, which sets them up for potentially a rather uneventful training camp. The overwhelming expectation is for Roethlisberger to be the starter, for Rudolph to be the backup, and for Dobbs and Haskins to compete for the third quarterback job.
Haskins does have some say in what happens, though. If he can really impress, it’s not unreasonable to assume that he can at least put his name in the conversation to be the backup quarterback. He does have significant starting experience, even if he won’t have the same time in the Steelers’ system as the others.
Given that the expanded practice squad is expected to remain in place, it’s not impossible that the team tries to retain all four quarterbacks. They did carry Devlin Hodges as a fourth arm on the practice squad last season, so as long as the ‘loser’ is not claimed off waivers, it may be that they all remain together when all is said and done.
