Steelers had no interest in signing a new quarterback this year

Despite Ben Roethlisberger coming off an injury-shortened campaign, the Pittsburgh Steelers made zero attempts to bring in a better backup quarterback this year.

Last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers were without Ben Roethlisberger for the majority of the year thanks to the quarterback suffering a severe elbow injury. Despite his absence, the Steelers still managed to finish with a respectable 8-8 record that left them just short of a spot in the AFC playoff bracket.

For next season, it sounds like Roethlisberger should be back in action as Pittsburgh’s starter under center and ready to help the team get back to the playoffs. However, some believe the Steelers should have spent the current offseason looking for a better backup signal-caller given their struggles in 2019 without Roethlisberger in the lineup.

Pittsburgh hasn’t felt this way though. They didn’t use any of their selections in the recent 2020 NFL Draft on a quarterback and on Wednesday, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert revealed in a radio interview with 93.7 The Fan that the team didn’t make any offers to any veteran passers this year.

"“We’re always gonna watch what’s out there. It’s my job to evaluate any position, any player that happens to be available, and we do that. But I can honestly say that we absolutely made no negotiation or any offer to any veteran quarterback.”"

Pittsburgh knows Roethlisberger’s health status better than anyone else, so they obviously feel confident enough about his chances to perform at a sufficient level next season.

Even if the Steelers feel fine about their starter, it’s a little surprising that they didn’t make any legitimate effort to upgrade their backup situation this year. Colbert made it pretty clear during his radio interview on Wednesday that Pittsburgh is confident in Mason Rudolph as their backup even after he struggled last season.

If it seems like a big risk to depend on an aging quarterback who is coming off a serious injury to end your team’s two-year playoff drought, it’s because it is.

The Steelers are hoping their decision to roll with their same group of quarterbacks in 2020 will work out for the best. But if it doesn’t, then it could result in some pretty major changes to the franchise.