Take the comment for what it’s worth in 2023 and you won’t get much out of it. An obvious, bland statement. Quarterback continuity is important, we like veterans. That’s the gist of what Mike Tomlin had to say to Bob Pompeani during the latest edition of The Mike Tomlin Show.
But something he said inside that statement is something I’ll bookmark if – and more likely, when – the Steelers explore backup quarterback options next March. Pompeani asked Tomlin about the value of having depth at quarterback more so than any other position considering its importance and increasing number of injuries at the position.
“When you have guys that can play, you gotta be comfortable in terms of doing business with them,” Tomlin said via the team’s YouTube channel. “That’s why we do some of the things that we do organizationally in terms of valuing veteran backups and continuity in terms of some of our business relationships at that position. We just came off of a game versus Indy. [Gardner Minshew II] came from Philadelphia with that staff to Indy as another reflection of the value of continuity and things at that position to reflect how instable things are in today’s game.”
Tomlin also made the point that despite the NFL doing more and more to protect quarterbacks, injuries have seemed to increase year-over-year. The Steelers are on their third-string quarterback, though that’s one part due to Kenny Pickett’s injury and one part due to Mitch Trubisky’s play. But around the AFC North, the Cincinnati Bengals have been on their backup for weeks. The Cleveland Browns have started four quarterbacks. Only the Baltimore Ravens, set to win the division, have had perfect quarterback health. Their success is no coincidence.
But the point I find interesting from Tomlin is his comments about Minshew. How he came from over Philadelphia, following first-head coach Shane Steichen, hired by Indianapolis after serving as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator. When rookie Anthony Richardson went down early in the season, the Colts’ offense took a hit in terms of talent, but the scheme didn’t have to significantly adjust. And Minshew, with his established relationship with Steichen and his RPO-heavy system, was able to hit the ground running and find success because of it, potentially leading Indianapolis to the playoffs.
All of that is to say this. Assuming the Steelers go outside the organization to hire their next permanent offensive coordinator, keep an eye on the quarterbacks that coach left behind. If Pittsburgh retools its depth chart behind Pickett — Trubisky is a strong cut candidate and Mason Rudolph is a pending free agent — it could target a veteran quarterback who has links and ties to the Steelers’ new offensive coordinator and his system. All of that creates the “comfort” Tomlin spoke of.
A pure hypothetical. Let’s say Pittsburgh hires San Francisco 49ers QB Coach Brian Griese to become its next offensive coordinator. That would put a guy like QB Sam Darnold on the Steelers’ radar, the two working together in Santa Clara this year. Something along those lines. The Steelers clearly value veteran backups; it’s why they’ve held onto Rudolph and had experience on their depth chart top to bottom, and it’s natural for new hires like offensive coordinators to want to bring in their guys anyway. If anything, they can help a guy like Pickett pick up the system even faster.
It’s not something the Steelers have even had as an option in recent years considering their last two coordinators were internal hires instead of coming from outside the organization who had “their guys” elsewhere. Of course, it could be someone the coach had at a previous stop. A link from beyond this past year could also be on the table.
Those types of things are still awhile from happening. Free agency isn’t until March. But beyond the basics, what we already know of having good and strong depth at quarterback, the connections between coaches and quarterbacks and systems are something to watch this offseason.
