One crazy theory about what the Steelers do in 2022

Now that the Superbowl is over, the Steelers can now head into their preparations for their 2022 season. Free agency will open shortly as well as trades.

Any moves the Steelers make will now provide insight as to what strategies they have in mind for the draft. If they make a move for a quarterback in free agency, that might mean they may use the draft to fill their other needs. Or it could go the other way; they could sign offensive linemen, corner, or safety and plan on drafting one of the quarterbacks.

How will it play out? Anyone’s guess is as good as the next person. With that, everyone has an opinion on the subject. Some are rational; some seem to come from left field. However, when talking to Steelers fans, there is always that one person who suggests the Steelers just tank the 2022 season to get a higher draft choice in 2022.

There are lot’s of fallacies with that notion. Most importantly, Mike Tomlin has no desire to have his first losing season in 2022. Most would agree with that. Secondly, tanking games is an issue the NFL frowns upon, and if they find that occurred, they can take punitive action against the parties involved.

Then this person explained their rationale for how the Steelers shoot for the higher draft position in 2023 while still making it appear that Mike Tomlin is still trying to preserve the streak of winning seasons. As to be expected, the answer may draw the ire of some, but simply put, it is to start Mason Rudolph in 2022.

The logic behind this is somewhat sound in that you still bring in someone to challenge Rudolph, but if Mason wins the starting position, so be it. You start him. If he falters, you can still bench him in lieu of the backup as they did in 2019 with Devlin Hodges.

Then in the draft, you focus on getting a quality offensive lineman on the first selection and perhaps try addressing the other needs such as cornerback, safety, linebacker, edge, ad, or wide receiver with remaining picks or through free agency. At least you try to improve the other weak spots in hopes that might be enough to allow Rudolph some success in 2022.

However, if Mason falters and the Steelers have a losing season, Mike Tomlin can still claim we worked with what we had and did the best we could. Yet if they make the playoffs, however unlikely that may be, it’s not like Tomlin deliberately tried to have a losing season.

Yet more than likely, with Rudolph at the helm, the Steelers probably win perhaps at the best seven games. If that is the case, then that would put the Steelers somewhere between the 5th and 12th selection in the 2023 draft, in which they are high enough to go after one of the quarterback options in that draft.

Is this a likely scenario? Common sense would dictate no. Common sense would dictate no. However, if the Steelers do not draft a quarterback and can not land a suitable free agent, perhaps they go with Mason. As of now, it’s hard to say; a lot can happen between now and the draft. Is there a possibility this scenario plays out?

Perhaps it could. Sure It’s one not many would want to see played out as no one wants to see the Steelers go through a losing season. It’s not the best idea by far as how the Steelers proceed in 2022, but it may not be the worst either.