4 glaring needs Steelers must address in the 2022 NFL Draft
By Tommy Jaggi
Quarterback
Even the most loyal Ben Roethlisberger fans out there have to understand at this point that there’s just not a lot left in the tank. This shouldn’t be unexpected as Big Ben is in his 18th NFL season at the age of 39 with an extensive injury history.
Because of the value of the quarterback position, Roethlisberger has probably been the single-most valuable asset this franchise has ever had and he will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. However, he’s not like Tom Brady where he can play well into his forties, and father time has caught up with him rather quickly.
Obviously, an improved offensive line and a better run game would certainly help his case, but even with these things, there’s no guarantee that he looks like anything more than an average quarterback at this point.
Over the past several years, Pittsburgh has passed on the opportunity to grab talented signal-callers like Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts, and there has been almost no interested to move up for a quarterback in Ben’s old age. With Roethlisberger turning 40 next offseason and an expiring voidable-year contract, I see no reason why the Steelers shouldn’t be all in on a quarterback in 2022.