If there’s anybody who’s low on the Cleveland Browns, it’s former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. He tormented them throughout his playing career and has made many remarks on his Footbahlin podcast that Cleveland should be an easy opponent for Pittsburgh.
During his latest episode, posted Tuesday, Roethlisberger echoed that same confidence. However, he doesn’t think it’ll be a walk in the park and worries that the Browns’ receiving core could give Pittsburgh some trouble.
“They’re gonna have to watch out a little bit in the receiving game,” Roethlisberger said. “They’ve [Browns] got five guys that have over 100 yards. I know that’s not a lot, but that means the ball’s being spread out. Two of them are tight ends, so matchups are gonna be, you’re gonna have to be watching stuff. And if Gabriel gets out and escapes, that’s a long time to cover. So between Jeudy, and Njoku, and some of those guys, it could be a little scary.”
To have a good passing attack, you have to be able to get the ball to your receivers. With Joe Flacco leading the offense, that just wasn’t happening for Cleveland through the first four weeks. They subsequently replaced him with Dillon Gabriel, and have now traded Flacco to the Bengals, signaling the new direction their offense is going in.
Gabriel didn’t have a terrific debut against the Minnesota Vikings last week, but he did have some good moments. He completed 19 of his 33 passes for 190 yards, throwing two touchdowns in the process. His passer rating of 94.3 on the day shows that while he didn’t set the world on fire, it certainly wasn’t a bad first start. The fact that it was against a tough, Brian Flores-led defense is more impressive.
In terms of pass catchers, the Browns have some talent. Steelers fans will remember Jerry Jeudy particularly, who leads the team with 197 yards on the year. That’s not a crazy number, but as Roethlisberger mentions, they spread the ball around a bit. David Njoku, Harold Fannin, Isaiah Bond, and Cedric Tillman all have over 100 yards on the year.
The diversity of the group could cause problems. Njoku and Jeudy have already proven themselves at this level. But some of those younger pieces have much talent. Fannin is an up-and-coming tight end, one who runs good routes and has impressive speed for the position. And Bond can take the top off a defense at a moment’s notice.
The Steelers still should be capable of beating the Browns. However, defending a young quarterback without much experience can be tricky, especially one who can extend plays like Gabriel. With some talented options at his disposal, the Steelers must be on top of things come Sunday.
