It’s been a wild last few months for former Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby. At one point, there was real talk about him potentially being a first-round pick in the NFL Draft, with multiple teams reportedly interested in him. Instead of declaring, though, Sorsby decided to stay at Texas Tech because he still had eligibility left.
Shortly after, an NCAA investigation found that Sorsby had placed more than 9,000 bets during his college career, which goes directly against NCAA rules for college athletes. After the investigation became public, Sorsby checked himself into a rehab facility to get help for his gambling addiction.
Then things got even messier.
A Lubbock County judge ruled that Sorsby could still play for Texas Tech while everything played out legally, and that decision caused major backlash around college football. There were even reports that some Big 12 schools were considering refusing to play Texas Tech if Sorsby was allowed to play.
Now, Texas Tech and Sorsby have officially parted ways, and Sorsby has dropped his lawsuit against the NCAA so he can enter the NFL Supplemental Draft.
With the Steelers still searching for their next franchise quarterback, there are already people saying Pittsburgh should take a chance on Sorsby. But honestly, with how much uncertainty already surrounds the Steelers quarterback room, bringing in another quarterback with this much baggage and controversy is not something the team should even consider, and here’s why.
The Pittsburgh Steelers cannot afford to add Brendan Sorsby headache to an already-crowded QB room
First off, the Steelers already have a crowded quarterback room with Aaron Rodgers back for a second season in Pittsburgh. On top of that, you’ve got Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and third-round pick Drew Allar already on the roster. Four quarterbacks are more than enough, and adding a fifth just makes everything more complicated.
When final cuts come around in late August, this is already going to be a tough situation to sort out. Do you keep Mason Rudolph as a veteran backup in case Rodgers gets hurt? Or do you move on from him and roll with Will Howard, who the coaching staff seems high on but is still basically a rookie after missing most of last season and a big chunk of camp with injury, meaning he would be the primary backup with very little real NFL experience?
Then you’ve got Drew Allar, a third-round pick this year, and it’s hard to see Pittsburgh walking away from that investment this early. But carrying four quarterbacks on the 53-man roster doesn’t really work either because it takes away depth from other positions that actually need it.
Now add the supplemental draft into the mix. It’s basically an auction where teams bid future draft picks, and whoever wins gives up that pick in next year’s draft. So not only would the Steelers be adding another quarterback to an already crowded room, but they’d also be giving up future draft capital to do it.
At that point, you’ve got to ask what the actual plan is. You’d be trying to develop multiple young quarterbacks at once, while also managing a veteran starter, and hoping it all somehow sorts itself out.
And that’s before even getting into the bigger picture. Next year’s quarterback class is expected to be strong, and Pittsburgh could easily be back in the market again. If you’ve already used a third-round pick on Allar and you’re potentially looking at another quarterback high in next year’s draft, adding Sorsby on top of all that just muddies things even more.
Bottom line, the Steelers already have enough going on at quarterback. Adding Sorsby doesn’t solve anything. It just adds another problem.
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