Will Ryan Tannehill end up being the Pittsburgh Steelers’ new QB2?
The Steelers have maintained their desire to continue working with QB Mason Rudolph. The reality is he is a free agent come March. That means there are variables outside of their control. One variable they controlled was their next offensive coordinator. While not yet official, it reportedly will be Arthur Smith.
And you know how much the Steelers value “relationships” when doing business. Smith helped Ryan Tannehill maximize his potential while with the Tennessee Titans. He had his best numbers by far while Smith called his plays and ran his offense.
And you know who Smith has no relationship with at all? Mason Rudolph. Why would he care about Rudolph? When Rudolph came out of Oklahoma State, Smith was a tight ends coach. He didn’t scout him. He did scout Kenny Pickett as Atlanta Falcons head coach in 2022.
And, of course, he coached Tannehill directly. Here’s another thing: a primary facet of his responsibility in Pittsburgh is to solve the Pickett conundrum. Is he a starter or not? Rudolph isn’t going to help much with that, quite frankly. Tannehill has a lot more experience and could probably serve as a better mentor for a young quarterback.
He could also help communicate to Pickett whatever nuances in the offense Smith will bring along with him. Rudolph had that advantage as a six-year member of the Steelers organization. But now they’ve made an outside hire and can’t count on that level of familiarity.
On top of that, Tannehill, like Rudolph, is a pending free agent. The Titans are bringing in a new regime. They already added their new quarterback, Will Levis, last year. One would hope that Tannehill brings the experience of Mitch Trubisky with the security of performance of Rudolph under his old coach.
Nothing I write here should be construed as advocation of any particular position. It’s simply commenting on the reality of the present circumstances. Teams are likely to do different things with different offensive coordinators. Both of these quarterbacks are going to be free agents. Perhaps Rudolph gets a deal from another team that the Steelers don’t want to match. At 35 years old and now a backup, I don’t think Tannehill is going to break the bank like he did with his previous contracts.
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wild Card Round, they have another long offseason to look forward to.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Kenny Pickett the guy? Will he get another season’s reprieve without a serious challenge? How will the team address the depth chart? Do they re-sign Mason Rudolph, one of the few significant unrestricted free agents?
The Steelers are swirling with more questions this offseason than usual, frankly, though the major free agent list is less substantial than usual. It’s just a matter of…what happens next? Where do they go from here? How do they find the way forward?
