For Steelers, all options open in the search for their new quarterback

Whether it’s through free agency, a trade, or the 2022 NFL Draft, nothing is off the table for Pittsburgh and its search for a new quarterback.

PITTSBURGH — For the first time in his 15-year head coaching career, mike tomlin enters an offseason without Ben Roethlisberger as the franchise quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers for the coming season.

Even if Roethlisberger, 39 years old, has not yet made an official announcement, Tomlin He said he is “proceeding on the assumption” that the veteran quarterback will not play next year. Before, during the season, Roethlisberger said “all signs” pointed to the Week 17 win over the cleveland browns being his last home game in Heinz Field. After the exit of the Steelers in the playoffs against the Kansas City Chiefs The last Sunday, Roethlisberger He didn’t use the word retirement, but described his 18-year career with the franchise as “an honor,” saying he “looks forward” to the next chapter.

That means Tomlin is tasked with finding the next franchise quarterback for the Steelers.

“I’m excited about it, the challenge,” he said at his annual closing campaign news conference. “Those of us who are competitors, they get excited. It’s a challenge, man. It makes you restless. But I’ve learned to run towards those challenges. I’ve learned to appreciate those challenges. The uncertainty that surrounds them inspires me in terms of producing work.”

The Steelerswill undoubtedly bring new arms to compete for the starting job, and Tomlin He said he doesn’t care if the new faces come from free agency, a trade, or the 2022 NBA draft. NFL.

“All options are on the table,” he said. Tomlin. “I enjoy working with [el gerente general] Kevin [Colbert] this time of year, because we speak in simple language. We must improve our football team. There are two main ways to achieve this. You do it in free agency, and you do it through the draft. We have to look at what’s available to us in the draft, positionally. And we have to look at what’s available to us, potentially, in free agency, positionally, and then we put those two discussions together. And it gives you a certain path that you go down to take care of your needs.”

With more flexibility under the salary cap than in previous seasons, the team could explore adding a quarterback via trade, as Russell Wilson, or sign a mid-level veteran, as a free agent James Winston, either to serve as a bridge, or to be the next franchise quarterback.

The Steelers are sitting at the 20th pick overall in the next draft, and with a weaker crop of quarterbacks, a player like Kenny Pickett from pitt, or Sam Howell from North Carolina, could be available by the time you select the Steelers.

Tomlin also said he hasn’t expressed a preference for bringing in a veteran over a rookie to avoid a rebuilding process.

In the search for a quarterback, Tomlin admitted that mobility is an important positional quality.

“Man, quarterback mobility is not only valued by me, but by everyone,” he said. “It’s just a component of the game today, and more and more.”

The Steelers they enter the 2022 season with only one quarterback under contract, in Mason Rudolf, even if Dwayne Haskins I also spent the 2021 season on the roster of the Steelers. Tomlin he said both would have a chance to compete for the starting job.

“Mason Y Dwayne They’ve had their moments, but they’ll have to prove it,” said Tomlin, when asked if any of them could be a headline for the newspaper. “And not just in the process of team development, but through the game, too. There are guys coming up that I wouldn’t necessarily consider starting for the paper, so they’re going to get a chance to establish themselves, and there’s going to be competition. there are.

“I think both guys have positioned themselves to fight with what they’ve done from a work and professional perspective in 2021.”

Rudolf started one game on the campaign — a draw in Week 10 against some Detroit Lions, then winless — and was 30 of 50 for 242 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also started eight games in 2019, taking over after a season-ending elbow injury. Roethlisberger. But, he split time with Devlin “Duck” Hodges.

Haskins, meanwhile, was active for only one game during the 2021 campaign after signing with the Steelers in the campaign break. competed with Rudolf for the backup job during training camp, but ultimately landed on the third rung of the roster. The 2019 first-round pick started 13 games with the Washington Football Team before being cut towards the end of the 2020 season.

In addition to talking about the future at quarterback, Tomlin He also touched on the future of other key members of his team and the organization of the Steelers.

• Tomlin expressed confidence in the first-year offensive coordinator, Matt Canada, which is apparently a sign that Canada will be back for at least one more season.

“I’m optimistic about Matt and what it’s capable of,” he said. “I admit we took a step backwards. There are some obvious tangibles why that happened… We need to improve. We intend to. And that is going to require a lot of planning and work. Players and coaches.”

Tomlin he also admitted frustration with the lack of offensive success. The Steelers they averaged 4.8 yards per play in 2021, after averaging 5.2 in 2020.

“I’m not expressing satisfaction with any component of it,” he said. “I just acknowledge that it brings things to the table that are compelling, and we need to be better and we will be, and that, you know, is a component of that, too. But, I’m not acknowledging satisfaction with any component of what we’ve done, while I’m sitting here.”

• Tomlin said that he and the defensive coordinator Keith Butler, 65, have had previous talks about 2021 being the assistant’s last season. The one-season extension of Butler It expired at the end of the 2021 campaign.

“Butz has had conversations about this potentially being his final season,” revealed Tomlin. “He and I haven’t had a chance to sit down. I’m doing player interviews. He’s doing player interviews, so we haven’t had a detailed conversation on that. But definitely, you know, we didn’t play as well as we’d like. Neither. We need to improve in that area.”

• Although the contract of Colbert expires after the 2022 draft of the NFL, Tomlin he’s still working closely with him to come up with a plan for the offseason. Both have talked about the future of Colbert with the team.

“He and I have had discussions about it,” he said. Tomlin. “But, I’ll leave it to Kevin Talk about anything regarding your future. My plan and our plan is to proceed in the short term as we always do.”