You’re going to build the roster.
If you’re like me you’d love the chance to be a General Manager. We all have our opinions on players throughout the draft process and throughout the season of who we would prefer to have on the team or active roster. I thought this might be a fun process to look at a group of players give some background information on each player and see who you would keep. And yes, I understand you want to see how everyone does in training camp.
I’ll give you three players from each position group and you decide which two you will keep (one to the active roster, one to the practice squad) and one player to cut. At the end of this process we’ll have a 53 man roster and a good portion of the practice squad built by you.
Quarterbacks
Ben Roethlisberger is back for his 18th season and will be the signal caller once again and maybe for his final season. Overall, his 2020 season was solid statistically. His total passing yards was his lowest yards per game since 2012 but he had is 4th 30+ passing TD season. Coming off a serious elbow injury we didn’t know what to expect but he held up well on the way to his fourth season with at least 12 wins. Behind him there is a trio of players all with some experience and it should make for an interesting battle in camp.
Mason Rudolph
Just the mere mention of his name makes some fans angry but he is once again in line to be the number two behind Roethlisberger. His results to this point have been up and down but his most recent start in the finale of 2020 he clearly looked his best. After being inactive for his rookie season, over the past two years he has started 9 games and played in parts of 5 other games.
On the positive side, he is 5-4 in games he has started completing 61.7 percent of his passes for 2,089 yards. He has 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in that time and in the 11 games with significant playing time he has more TD’s then INT’s in nine of them. His adjusted net yards per attempt was 6.83 or better in 6 of those games and as I stated looked good in his only start in 2020. He is also the only QB signed for the 2022 season.
Best Game: Week 17 2020 At Cleveland – 22-39, 315 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 1 sack for -8 yards, 7.95 AY/A
On the negative side, there is still some stiffness and robotics when he drops back and the mental processing of moving through his progressions can still improve. Of his five wins, just one came against a team with a winning record. He has 14 turnovers in the 11 games with significant playing time and was also sacked 16 times in those games.
Worst Game: Week 11, 2019 At Cleveland, 21-7 loss, 23 of 44, 221 yards, 1 TD, 4 INT, sacked 4 times for -43 yards, 1.39 AY/A
Joshua Dobbs
Dobbs enters his 5th season as a pro with most of it spent in Pittsburgh. The entirety of his rookie season in 2017 he was inactive and in 2019 mostly with Jacksonville he was inactive for 9 weeks and did not play in the 7 weeks he was active. He is a smart, athletic quarterback and has shown confidence when he has been called upon. He has only appeared in 6 games in his career but was used in a sub package in the final game of 2020.
On the positive side, Pittsburgh has a tendency to go with the familiar. The brought him back last season because he knows the system and there is at least some level of comfort with him. Dobbs is not afraid to pull the trigger when given the chance. His most impactful throw was a 22 yard dart on second and 20 from the Pittsburgh 5 yard line against Baltimore in 2018 on his lone play of the game. His stat line is adequate going 10 of 17 for 45 yards and 6 carries for 31 yards. The team is 4-2 in games he has played.
Best Game: Week 17, 2020 at Cleveland– 4-5 for 2 yards, 2 carries for 20 yards
On the negative side, he was traded to Jacksonville in 2019 losing his spot on the roster to Devlin Hodges and a big reason for that was his inaccuracy in that preseason. He was unable to see the field in Jacksonville behind Gardner Minshew and Nick Foles. His ceiling is that of a backup who could be used as a running threat in an offense.
Worst Game: Being inactive for 38 games in four seasons
Dwayne Haskins
One thing is consistent. The Steelers love former first round picks. Haskins was cut by the Washington Football Team after two seasons and was signed by Pittsburgh in January. During the 2019 draft process the Steelers loved him but didn’t deem him NFL ready. He was given the chance to start midway through his rookie year and had below average results.
On the positive side, he is young and has some talent so with a full commitment by him and new coaching he could take strides forward to becoming an NFL quarterback. He has starting experience with 13 starts over the last two seasons and has a strong arm. He has embraced his opportunity with Pittsburgh looking for fresh start.
Best Game: Week 15, 2019 vs Philadelphia – 19-28, 261 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 10.75 AY/A, 1 sack for -10 yards, 3 carries for 26 yards, 1 fumble
On the negative side, according to reports he wasn’t committed to football like a quarterback should be. Tardiness, lack of understanding of the playbook and overall preparation were subpar. Accuracy has been an issue completing just over 60% of his passes. Ball security is an issue as he has twenty-six turnovers committed in sixteen games played with at least one fumble in nine games. He has also been sacked 49 times in that time period which could point to working through progressions and pocket awareness.
Worst Game – Week3, 2020 at Cleveland – 21 of 37, 224 yards, 2 TD’s, 3 INT’s, 3 sacks for -18 yards, 3.49 AN/A, 2 carries for 2 yards, 2 fumbles
The choice is yours. I will tally up the comments and also do a poll on Twitter to get the results. The results of each positon group will be listed below going forward until you have a complete roster.
