The Pittsburgh Steelers qualified for the playoffs as the AFC’s seventh seed, but that doesn’t mean everyone is happy about it. Stephen A. Smith appeared on the Pat McAfee Show Monday afternoon and was asked whether he thought the Steelers had a chance against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
“They have a chance, but they’re not going far,” Smith said. “It’s fool’s gold because you still don’t have a quarterback. Kenny Pickett isn’t the answer, Mason Rudolph isn’t the answer. Don’t get me started on that damn Mitchell Trubisky—he shouldn’t even be on a roster…They definitely need a damn quarterback, period!”
Pickett’s second year as a pro has not gone as planned given his struggles utilizing the middle of the field and pushing the ball downfield. He hasn’t made many big mistakes like interceptions or fumbles, but part of that is not taking risks with the potential for big payoff. After a two-game stint with Trubisky starting, the Steelers turned to Rudolph, and it has left many wondering if he could be the quarterback of the future in Pittsburgh. The offense scored 15.9 points per game in the first 14 games of the season and then turned things around with Rudolph, averaging 27 in the Steelers’ final three games.
This isn’t the first opportunity Rudolph has had to start. Outside of one game in 2021 and one game in 2020, Rudolph got eight starts in 2019 and was benched for Duck Hodges. He used to be the whipping boy for the Pittsburgh fan base, and it wasn’t long ago that many bemoaned the one-year contract extension he signed this past offseason. Still, he is 8-4-1 as a starter and led the Steelers to the playoffs despite their odds being as low as two percent following their three-game losing streak.
“Every executive I’ve ever known, including some of the great ones like the great Jerry West and others, have always said this to me. The middle of the road is the worst place you can be,” Smith said. “You either on top or you want to be at the bottom where it is clear a reclamation project needs to be in tow.”
With the Steelers making the playoffs, they have ensured that they will be picking in the back half of the 2024 NFL Draft. The Steelers have often drafted in that same fringe-playoff-to wild-card-loser range and it has mostly amounted to nothing. There have been a few good to great players, but most of them have not been retained for a second contract. From the drafts of 2013-20, there are just six players remaining on the roster with one of them being on the practice squad.
There are a number of routes the Steelers could go this offseason with Rudolph set to become a free agent. All signs point to Pickett getting more opportunities to be the franchise quarterback, but that won’t preclude them from adding to the position. Trubisky is likely as good as gone, and with Rudolph’s price tag going up by the week, the Steelers could look to free agency or even the draft to add to the quarterback room. It will be a fascinating offseason in Pittsburgh and though the Steelers drafted a first-round quarterback just two years ago, they could have at least one eye on the quarterback prospects again this draft cycle.
