Steelers Rumors: Blake Bortles linked to Pittsburgh as a backup option

Could the free-agent quarterback land with the Pittsburgh Steelers?

It didn’t take very long for Blake Bortles to start hearing comparisons to current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. It also didn’t help when Roethlisberger even chipped in and said that Bortles reminded him of a younger version of himself.

However, it also didn’t take too long for those comparisons to stop.

After throwing 35 touchdowns in his second NFL season, Bortles’ career began to trend in the wrong direction. His inability to not turn the ball over and his struggles with accuracy ultimately led to him departing from the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019.

Steelers Rumors: Should Pittsburgh be interested in the former top-five draft pick?

It won’t be long before the 2020 season kicks off and teams are still currently attempting to make sure they feel fine with the guys on their roster. Despite the regular season being so close to starting, there are still plenty of talented players left in free agency who could help a number of teams this year.

Bortles is one of these remaining free agents and Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox recently suggested that the Steelers should consider signing the former Jaguars first-round pick.

Knox mentioned Pittsburgh’s currently unimpressive backup situation behind Roethlisberger and he said that Bortles would be, “an ideal fit,” for the guys in black and gold.

According to OverTheCap.com, the Steelers currently have around $5 million in cap space. Bortles was fine with signing a one-year deal worth $1 million with the Los Angeles Rams last season. So maybe he would agree to something similar with Pittsburgh?

Even if the Steelers brought in the former Jacksonville quarterback just to compete for a job in camp, it wouldn’t be a terrible idea. Competition is known to bring out the best in most, so adding another person to the quarterback room could result in a number of positive outcomes for Pittsburgh.

Bortles is currently 28-years-old and maybe sitting behind Roethlisberger for a season or two could potentially translate into him becoming a starting NFL quarterback once again?

If the Steelers haven’t already checked in with Bortles’ representation to find out what his plans are for this year, they should at least see if he’s willing to try and suit up for them this season.