As the Pittsburgh Steelers await a decision from veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the team has to be putting backup plans in place.
If not Rodgers, then who? Is it Russell Wilson? Is it a rookie? The options are drying up, unless Pittsburgh were to entertain a Kirk Cousins trade.
This team very well could end up drafting a quarterback regardless of whether or not they sign or trade for a veteran. They have yet to figure out the position since Ben Roethlisberger's exit, and if need be, maybe they even carry three quarterbacks in 2025, considering Mason Rudolph just came back.
Owning the 21st pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Pittsburgh might find themselves in a peculiar position if they indeed want to draft a quarterback. If they wait until Round 2, it could be too late, based on some recent speculation from NFL insider Ian Rapoport.
Ian Rapoport thinks the Cowboys will pursue a quarterback early in the 2025 NFL Draft
After Cooper Rush left the Dallas Cowboys to sign with the Baltimore Ravens, that left them without a backup. And, Rapoport thinks Dallas might not only draft a quarterback early this year, but also one who might be groomed to start in a couple years' time.
“How high do they go? Because if you’re going to wait until the fifth or sixth or seventh round, you don’t know what kind of backup quarterback you’re getting. And honestly, by then, they may all be gone," he said on a recent episode of the NFL Insiders Podcast.
“This at least, to me, means the Cowboys are considering taking one (a quarterback) if not Thursday, maybe on Friday," Rapoport finished.
Let's say the Steelers don't see a quarterback they feel worthy of the 21st overall pick (and that's a very likely scenario with the class being full of Day 2 and Day 3 prospects). If the Cowboys don't take one in the first round, they'll get a chance to do so in the second round with pick no. 44.
The Steelers, then, wouldn't pick again until the third round at pick no. 83, thanks to the DK Metcalf trade. And, oh by the way, Dallas also has another pick ahead of Pittsburgh at no. 76. The Cowboys could have two more chances to get their quarterback before Pittsburgh is on the clock again.
This makes their first rounder all the more important if quarterback is, indeed, a possibility. Does Pittsburgh have their starter by draft weekend, or do they miss out on the likes of Rodgers and/or Wilson?
The last thing Pittsburgh wants is to be left out in the cold with no viable option under center while their roster is set to compete right now. And now, the Cowboys are yet another team to have to compete with, it seems.