Why did the Steelers not pursue Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa?

After signing Dwayne Haskins, seeing the unsubstantiated doubt surrounding Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa develops questions as to why Steelers did not pursue him.

How picky can the fans in South Beach be when it comes to their rookie offensive commander? Well you would be surprised, as there have been talks about not only the Dolphins moving on from Alabama product Tua Tagovailoa, but also the possibility of him being a “bust.”

How is such a declaration even possible when a quarterback–in his first year, no less–led his snake-bitten franchise to come just short of their first playoff appearance in four years? Regardless of the reasoning for such a bogus take, this tells me that the Pittsburgh Steelers dropped the colossal ball when looking for a new playmaker to add to the depth chart for 2021. But I suppose that it is not all bad, as we did get…Dwayne Haskins.

How does the horrendous treatment of Tua from society connect to the Steel City? To be blunt, it all just adds up to a massive ‘what-if’ moment for the onlookers up north. Current Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been a peach, but his years of leading his team to greatness are over, as we at Still Curtain have never failed to acknowledge in recent weeks. Ben himself appears to be aware of this, as the comments from his own mouth and several other figures tied to the organization have seemingly placed an elephant in the room when discussing his last year remaining on the contract that he is still bound to.

Ben’s future with the Steelers is up in the air and Tua could be the answer

In response to Roethlisberger’s inevitable departure, the Steelers did exactly what most other teams would have done, and that is look for a new face at QB. This was an idea that even I myself was in agreement with, as this would result in a showdown to see who would take over for Ben starting most likely in 2022. The worst-case scenario out of all this is that Mason Rudolph could be named the successor, and he already has a few years of experience under his belt (a good portion of which is as a starter). So it was official, I was all for it. Until I saw who Pittsburgh actually signed.

Now I do not believe that the world of professional football has seen all that Dwayne Haskins has to offer. However, the stats are not great, and his immaturity has been clear as day ever since he first slapped the NFL branding on his chest. Meanwhile, Tua is much more adult and has performed superior to Haskins in even less time on the field. And who is to say that the Steelers could not have acquired Tagovailoa somehow? There is clearly more than enough attrition on the roster to fork down south in exchange for him; and especially after all the uncalled for judgment from the Floridian people, how much love can there possibly be between the man and his team?

The intention is not to bash Dwayne Haskins. Rather it is just to merely address the fact that he was not the best choice amongst all who were potentially up for grabs. And it is not fair to Tua Tagovailoa in the slightest whenever he is dragged through the mud for being a solid rookie play-caller that would be welcomed dearly into the city of Pittsburgh.

To simplify, the dream is that Haskins cooks the league alive upon Ben’s retirement. However, the feeling of regret associated with not seeking out Tua instead is what I fear will be the reality. The Steelers still have time to make a move.