Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger ranked 16th in the NFL entering 2021 season

Ben Roethlisberger ran out of steam late in the 2020 season. Here’s why Pro Football Focus has the Steelers QB ranked 16th in the NFL entering 2021. 

It was a long road to recovery for Ben Roethlisberger in 2019. After having season-ending elbow surgery, nobody really knew how the Steelers franchise quarterback would look when he returned to the field last season.

At the beginning of the year, things were going swimmingly for Pittsburgh. Big Ben opened the season by throwing for 10 touchdowns and just 1 interception over his first four games. Stretching this even further, Roethlisberger threw for 22 touchdowns and just 4 interceptions through his first 9 games last season, according to Pro Football Reference.

Then, things started to turn south. After a perfect 11-0 start to the year (the best in the history of the franchise), the Steelers offense fell apart late in the season. During a 2-3 stretch from Week 11 to Week 15, Roethlisberger threw for 8 touchdowns and 6 interceptions while somehow managing to average less than 5.5 yards per attempt over this span. After a disappointing end to his 2020 campaign, fans are anxious to see how the 39-year-old quarterback will do in 2021.

Recently, Pro Football Focus released their quarterback rankings for all 32 teams ahead of the 2021 season. Roethlisberger was ranked in the middle of the pack at 16 overall. What’s even more surprising is that it was former Steelers quarterback, Bruce Gradkowski, who wrote the article and came up with these rankings. Here’s what he had to say:

"Ben Roethlisberger proved his toughness by coming back at 38 years old after elbow surgery and helping the Steelers to an 11-0 start. But something just didn’t seem right during that hot streak, and Pittsburgh finished the year 1-5 in its last six games.New offensive coordinator Matt Canada has a tall task in trying to figure out what will make this offense tick. Roethlisberger ranked last out of 36 qualifying quarterbacks on play-action attempts last season. He subsequently led the league in shotgun pass attempts (640) and pass attempts under 10 yards. He did a decent job of getting the ball out of his hand quickly, but it didn’t translate into many explosive plays, as the Steelers ranked 26th in explosive pass-play percentage (11.7%)."

Where should Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger be ranked?

There are some names on this list that are clearly non-negotiable. Players like Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Josh Allen, and Dak Prescott are clearly above Ben Roethlisberger at this point. I would also agree that Gradkowski got the next tier correct with Lamar Jackson, Matt Ryan, Baker Mayfield, and Matthew Stafford. These are the top 11 passers on his list.

After this, it gets a little bit dicey. Ryan Tannehill, Derek Carr, Kirk Cousins, and Justin Herbert are the quarterback listed at 12-15 just above Big Ben. An argument could be made to bump him up a little higher on the list.

At the same time, some would argue that Roethlisberger should be even lower. Just behind him are players like Kyler Murray, Joe Burrow, and Daniel Jones. While they may not have had spectacular campaigns in 2020, the arrow is pointing up for these young quarterbacks. It’s also worth noting that Gradkowski has Ryan Fitzpatrick slotted at 19 on his list.

Though he’s another year older, it’s possible that Ben could have a better season in 2021 than he did last year. While his mobility is gone at this point and his arm is nowhere near what it used to be, he’s got four talented receivers who should take a step up, a new innovative offensive coordinator in Matt Canada, and a first-round running back in Najee Harris to help take some of the weight off his shoulders this season.

If we would have seen Ben Roethlisberger ranked this low just a few years ago, there would have been cause for an uproar. However, it’s hard to disagree too much with where Bruce Gradkowski has his quarterbacks ranked entering the 2021 season. Let’s just hope Big Ben proves his former teammate wrong.