The Pittsburgh Steelers have some outdated philosophies they still tend to use. Here’s why they should only carry two quarterbacks on their roster.
The Steelers have been one of the best franchises in the NFL for a reason. The Rooney family knows what it takes to win football games. They value consistency with their front office and coaching staff and keeping their good players around long-term.
While I’m completely on board with most of these decisions, I do have a bone to pick when it comes to the tradition of carrying three quarterbacks on their roster each year. Personally, I feel that this is an outdated philosophy that needs to be kicked to the curb.
I would love to hear Omar Khan, Mike Tomlin, or anyone in the front office make a convincing argument as to why it’s necessary to keep three quarterbacks on hand on the 53-man roster. In the very rare chance your starter and backup both go down in the same game, you aren’t winning that contest anyway.
Instead, a team’s third (and even fourth) quarterback should be practice squad players who don’t take up valuable spots on the roster.
Steelers should keep just two quarterbacks on the roster
Obviously, there are exceptions to this. There are a few teams out there who might have remarkable depth at the QB position or perhaps their third quarterback is a developmental player with the upside to become a starter for them. If this isn’t the case, there’s no need to keep them around.
Take the Steelers in their current state, for instance. We know who the top two quarterbacks are on the roster. Mitch Trubisky is currently penciled in as the starter and was the veteran presence Pittsburgh purchased in free agency this offseason.
Meanwhile, Kenny Pickett was drafted to be the future of this team. The 20th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft is very likely to become the starter for Pittsburgh at some point this season.
So what part does Mason Rudolph play in all of this? While Rudolph could still be a competent backup for a team, there’s really no reason to keep him around — certainly not on the final roster. If Rudolph has to see the field this year, it means that things have gone horrible wrong for the Steelers.
Instead of having a third quarterback with limited starting upside rotting on the bench, the Steelers should use the spot that would have otherwise gone to the QB3 to keep added depth at a position they could use it. This could come in the form of an extra edge defender or interior defensive lineman.
Perhaps the Steelers should keep an extra wide receiver this year. George Pickens and Calvin Austin are locks to make the roster, but keeping an extra QB could essentially make them choose between a special teams gunner like Miles Boykin or a return specialist like Gunner Olszewski.
Of course, the team could always use the extra roster spot saved on a linebacker or running back for the sole purpose of special teams coverage.
Mason Rudolph doesn’t have a bright future with the team, and it’s very rare that a team’s third quarterback will see the field in any given season. Like several other teams in the NFL, the Steelers should keep just two quarterbacks on their 53-man roster with a QB or two on the practice squad.