3 thresholds Pittsburgh Steelers next franchise quarterback must meet

Willingness to consistently throw the ball down the field

I can’t overemphasize how important this trait is for a franchise quarterback. This typically coincides with the ability to extend the play. Rarely do you see quarterbacks who routinely are able to escape the pocket when things break down only to dump the ball down underneath. It’s imperative that the Steelers next franchise quarterback is one who routinely looks to make plays down the field.

Typically, there is a strong correlation between a quarterback’s yards per attempt and how good their offense is in the NFL. Passers that dink and dunk the ball down the field are rarely going to have successful offenses. On the contrary, quarterbacks who have the willingness to routinely look deep often reap the rewards of their efforts. Though this can sometimes result in a higher interception rate, the ability to win down the field helps open up the rest of the offense – the running game in particular.

Last year, Deshaun Watson, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, and Josh Allen were are inside the top-5 in passing yards per attempt, according to ESPN statistics. These four quarterbacks are all considered among the best at their position in the NFL. Likewise, quarterbacks like Sam Darnold, Carson Wentz, Nick Foles, and Dwayne Haskins ranked dead last among qualifying passers in yards per attempt.

One single statistic like this doesn’t define a quarterback, but if passers aren’t willing to constantly have their eyes down the field to make big plays, I don’t think they could ever be good enough to compete with the best of the best in the NFL. This is a trait that typically doesn’t change over time.