Is the quarterback position off the Pittsburgh Steelers’ draft board now with the addition of Kyle Allen?
The Pittsburgh Steelers managed to replace three quarterbacks from their roster with three new veterans, which we all naturally expected. I don’t need to rehash all the details, as if you’re reading this, you undoubtedly already know them. Though not yet official, the Steelers are expected to add Kyle Allen as their likely third quarterback.
With Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Allen all experienced NFL veterans, what are the Steelers’ remaining plans? They had Ben Roethlisberger, Joshua Dobbs, and Landry Jones when they drafted Mason Rudolph in 2018.
The Steelers seemingly haven’t paid a great deal of attention to the quarterbacks of this draft class. At least that’s in terms of outward signs, but they inevitably scout all positions. And chances are the Steelers are only signing Allen to a Veteran Salary Benefit deal.
I can’t envision any realistic scenario in which the Steelers draft a quarterback on the first two days, but what about the rest of the draft? What if, say, Spencer Rattler is sitting there in the fourth round, or Jordan Travis in the seventh?
The Steelers are going to add another quarterback as some point, and chances are he’s going to be a rookie. They need somebody to carry out their rookie minicamp, though they can simply bring one in on an invitation basis.
But do the Steelers have a long-term future at quarterback right now? That’s the question they need to ask themselves, and Fields is the only realistic candidate as an answer. Even if Wilson pans out, he likely at best only has another five or so years, which is a rookie first-round contract.
The quarterback position is one for which you must always search, except perhaps when you have a franchise piece in the prime of his career. The Steelers do themselves a grave disservice if they assume any of their current quarterbacks fall under that banner. Therefore, I don’t know that we can entirely dismiss the possibility that they take one last swing in the draft.
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 ahead.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? Will he play just one season in Pittsburgh before moving on, or the Steelers moving on from him? How will the team address the depth chart?
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?
