The Pittsburgh Steelers have had plenty of decisions to make this offseason. Whether it was either of their big wide receiver trades, or their choices at running back and quarterback, there are plenty of different ways in which this offseason could have worked out.
It turns out, ESPN’s Chris Canty thinks their offseason has been a disaster. And that the Steelers are now closer to worst than first in the AFC North.
“The Steelers are making every wrong turn down this road,” Canty said Thursday on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike. “It’s official, they are closer to the Browns than they are to the Baltimore Ravens. And that might be being disrespectful to the Cleveland Browns.”
Canty isn’t the first host on this show to draw such a comparison. Days ago, his co-host Evan Cohen uttered a similar sentiment, citing Pittsburgh’s QB issues as a specific reason.
Canty doesn’t say so, but those QB issues are likely the same reason he’s making this comparison. The Steelers have become an easy target this offseason. They didn’t make a strong enough offer to retain Justin Fields, and after a half-hearted effort to sign Sam Darnold, they’ve chosen to allow their fate to reside with Aaron Rodgers. Whether that’s a good decision or a bad decision is yet to be seen.
But the Browns? And more than that, disrespectful to even compare the Steelers to the Browns? Really? It is more than fair to claim the Steelers aren’t up to the same level as the Ravens, and even the Bengals. If Mason Rudolph ends up being the starting quarterback, there’s a great chance the Steelers finish below those two teams. You just can’t compete with Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow when you don’t have a viable starting quarterback.
However, the Steelers have just now been getting a taste of what it’s like to not have a franchise quarterback. It’s only been a few seasons since Ben Roethlisberger retired. No, the Steelers haven’t found his replacement yet. But the Browns have been doing this dance for decades now.
If Aaron Rodgers does join the Steelers, which is the most-likely scenario, the Browns’ QB room won’t hold a candle to Pittsburgh’s. They’ve got an aging Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett, who’s already struggling in OTAs. Oh, and they drafted Dillon Gabriel in the third round, only to take a player with a better chance to start in Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round.
You definitely can complain about the way the Steelers have handled their QB situation. However, claiming it’s “disrespectful to the Browns” to be compared to the same team they perennially finish below is laughable. We’ve reached the point in the offseason in which an answer from Rodgers would feel pretty good, and put to bed some of these thoughts.
