Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Ryan Tannehill? That’s what former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi floated during a Tuesday appearance on the Pat McAfee Show.
The Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line put up a disastrous performance against the Buffalo Bills in Week two of the preseason. OT Broderick Jones looked like a shell of himself, and two or three lineman were getting beat consistently in pass protection, leading to three first quarter Russell Wilson sacks. The o-line was expected to build on their momentum from a strong finish in the 2023 season, so it’s a bit alarming to see them get dismantled against a starting defense, even if it’s only a preseason game in August.
To make matters worse, Wilson and Fields haven’t looked sharp this preseason, as both quarterbacks have yet to produce a single touchdown scoring drive. Those factors led Lombardi to float Tannehill’s name as a last-second replacement.
“With the line being as bad as it was, is Ryan Tannehill sitting out their on the street…do you make that phone call?” said Lombardi on McAfee’s show. “Do you make the phone call to Ryan Tannehill? He knows Arthur’s offense. The rookie first round pick from last year, [Broderick] Jones, just got pushed right back. Nobody can play quarterback in that situation.”
Adding Ryan Tannehill to the equation would not provide the solution to the Steelers current problems on offense. While Tannehill’s best years were under Arthur Smith’s tutelage in Tennessee, the 36 year-old quarterback does not look anything like the 33 touchdown, seven interception machine he was in 2020.
Similar to Russell Wilson, Tannehill doesn’t have the mobility he once leaned on, which means he would be dealing with the same sack problems as Wilson if the offensive line continues to collapse in pass protection. If these problems continue into the regular season, than Mike Tomlin could turn to Justin Fields as the weapon who gives them the best chance to make plays despite poor offensive line play.
Fields demonstrated his ability to scramble and create positive plays amidst chaos against the Bills on Saturday, highlighted by a 20-yard scramble to set up a first half field goal and this remarkable sack evasion leading to a first down throw on the run to WR Dez Fitzpatrick.
Fields took lots of sacks when he started for the Chicago Bears, but he was also one of the best scramblers in the league, turning would-be sacks into big first-downs and occasional breakaway touchdown runs. Tannehill can’t do that, and he’s taking sacks at a much higher rate in recent years, 32 of them in just 10 games played in 2023.
Rumors of Ryan Tannehill potentially joining the Steelers circulated this offseason after Arthur Smith was named the offensive coordinator, back when Kenny Pickett was still on the team. When the team traded Pickett and acquired two higher profile quarterbacks, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, Tannehill’s name stopped coming up.
More than anything, Lombardi is perhaps trying to point out that it doesn’t matter who’s throwing the football when they’re being hammered by the pass rush on every drop back. The Steelers hoped that offensive line would be a positional strength this season, as Tomlin and Arthur Smith want to pound opponents with the run in order to set up Wilson or Fields with easier passing situations.
If the line doesn’t improve quickly, it will be difficult to evaluate Wilson and Fields, and even more difficult to gauge Arthur Smith’s abilities as a play-caller for the Steelers. Worst of all, this offense will continue to struggle.
Both Wilson and Fields were taking too many sacks before they joined the Steelers, so it isn’t surprising to see this issue surfacing again in 2024. I expect the offensive line to find their form in the coming weeks, even if it means their just around the league average as a unit. It will take time for the young lineman to develop, but the talent and work ethic is definitely there, and the protection will improve throughout the season. It might be a rocky start, but I’ll take that rocky start with Russell Wilson or Justin Fields at the helm, instead of Ryan Tannehill.
