Despite weeks of speculation of the Pittsburgh Steelers taking a quarterback in the first round, widely connected to Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, it wasn’t until the team’s fifth pick and the sixth round until it added a passer to the roster. And barring catastrophe, rookie Will Howard won’t sniff the field. That still leaves Pittsburgh’s quarterback situation uncertain, but Rich Eisen offered a nuanced take of the criticism that’s fair.
And the criticism that’s not.
“I just think they weren’t sold,” Eisen said when asked by producer Chris Brockman if Pittsburgh made a mistake. “I just think they weren’t sold.”
Clearly, the rest of the NFL wasn’t either. Only three quarterbacks went within the top 90 selections, one of which was Cam Ward going first overall. The New York Giants traded up for Jaxson Dart in the first round while the New Orleans Saints snagged Tyler Shough early in the second.
Though no position trumps quarterback, Eisen understood the Steelers’ focus on fortifying the trenches.
“They needed d-linemen,” he said. “When that kid Derrick Harmon was there, they fell in love with them. The Steelers are very happy to have Derrick Harmon there.”
After making Harmon the 21st overall pick, the Steelers made clear he was one player they wouldn’t trade away from. Despite receiving phone calls to move down, Pittsburgh stuck to its board and added a player in Harmon who could start Day 1 and serve as Cam Heyward’s long-term replacement.
Pittsburgh passed on Sanders, and all the other quarterbacks, for the next several rounds. Running back Kaleb Johnson, EDGE Jack Sawyer, and a double-dip on the d-line in Yahya Black all came before Pittsburgh drafted Howard in the sixth round.
“I just think they didn’t value Shedeur Sanders in a way above the guys that they took,” Eisen said.
Still, Eisen believes Pittsburgh can be criticized from another angle. More than ever, their chips are all in on Aaron Rodgers. Despite the team’s outward confidence he’ll eventually sign, nothing is official until he signs a contract. And a change of heart could wreck Pittsburgh’s plans.
“The relying on Rodgers part, that’s a dangerous game,” he said. “That’s a dangerous game.”
Eisen suggested the Steelers keep the Falcons on speed dial for Kirk Cousins, who remains an option for Pittsburgh.
How the Steelers have handled their quarterback situation post-Ben Roethlisberger is ripe for criticism. It’s not gone well. They forced a first-round pick on Kenny Pickett from the previous GM who retired right after the selection, a bumbling process from start to finish. The team has completely turned over its quarterback room two years running and failed to re-sign Justin Fields or Russell Wilson despite being the team’s stated goal and ownership’s wishes. Banking on Rodgers to sign, much less play at a high level in 2025, is risky.
But the 2025 draft wasn’t the year to take the big swing on a quarterback. Odds are, it would’ve played out similarly to 2022. Hopefully, 2026 produces enough talent to justify the Steelers making an aggressive attempt at secure a long-term franchise quarterback, one that will come in the shadow of their own stadium.
