The biggest issue the Pittsburgh Steelers face this offseason centers on the quarterback position, where the Black and Gold need to find an answer — and fast. The problem is, the answer to the Steelers’ biggest problem isn’t all that clear, and the options ahead aren’t all that enticing.
While owner and team president Art Rooney II stated in January that his preference is to re-sign one of Russell Wilson or Justin Fields – both started games last season for the Steelers — neither is all that exciting when it comes to the long-term outlook of the franchise.
For former NFL safety and current ESPN analyst Jason McCourty, who appeared on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike Conduct on ESPN Radio Friday morning, he doesn’t see Wilson or Fields leading the Steelers back to relevant football in December and January. He doesn’t see a name like Sam Darnold as an answer in free agency, either.
The pickings are slim, which has McCourty leaning toward just focusing on building a really good team around the QB position moving forward.
“I would try to go a different direction. The scary thing with that is it’s hard to figure out exactly what that direction is, but I think the tough thing in this league is when you have some form of a solution, sometimes you just ride it out knowing that ultimately it’s not the decision that’s going to get you over the hump,” McCourty said of the quarterback situation in Pittsburgh, according to audio via ESPN Radio. “So if you’re the Pittsburgh Steelers, you saw what you had with Russ that wasn’t good enough with the way the season ended. You saw what you had with Justin Fields and you were still searching for more, and that’s the reason you put Russell Wilson in.
“So I don’t think those two guys are ultimately the guys that can get you back to relevant football late in January going into February. So I think you move on past those guys and you look to see free agent wise, I don’t think Sam Donald’s the guy.”
McCourty brings up a good point regarding Fields. The Steelers already moved on from him once as the starter, even if that move was strictly a Mike Tomlin decision as Tomlin went “lone ranger” and inserted Wilson into the starting lineup. Based on that, Tomlin showed his hand when it comes to his feelings on Fields as a starter, because he left him wanting more.
Things completely fell apart down the stretch under Wilson as the Steelers lost five straight games and didn’t score more than 17 points in a game after Week 14. Now, the path forward for the Steelers is unclear.
It seems very likely one of the two will be back, though names like Matthew Stafford, Aaron Rodgers and Sam Darnold have been connected to the Steelers this offseason, not to mention Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart in the draft.
For McCourty, it comes down to the Steelers needing to just bolster the team around the QB position because there’s no clear, obvious path and answer they should seek.
“So then you go towards the draft as a guy like Jaxson Dart falling later in the first round, or maybe even in the second or third round you can get him and maybe see what he can do. I think it’s more about trying to build that team,” McCourty added regarding the QB position. “We see so many teams, you just go for the quarterback every single year and you’re trying to just put a quick solution on a problem, and it doesn’t work and you’re in the same spot year after year after year.
“So it’s more like, try to build a really good football team and then plug a quarterback in and see if you can win that way.”
It sounds easier said than done, but in today’s NFL if you don’t have the QB who can elevate your team and come through in big spots, you’re not going to be competing for the ultimate prize. That is what the Steelers have shown in recent years. They’ve had some good rosters, but have been lacking at QB, and it’s cost them.
Figuring out a solution to the most important position in sports is the be-all, end-all this offseason. It has to be the main focus. It’ll be very interesting to see what attempt at a solution GM Omar Khan tries this time.
