The Steelers enter this offseason with a lot of issues on their team. Chief among them is what this team should do at quarterback. Kenny Pickett hasn’t shown a lot since entering the league, and most of what he has shown hasn’t been good. If this team wants to be a consistent winner, they need better play out of their quarterback.
While everyone seems to have a short list of who they want, I really wanted to dig into some names that I find intriguing. They may not be the best names available, but for one reason or another, I think they could work for this team. Here are the five most intriguing replacements for the Pickett in 2024.
Steelers could turn to Mason Rudolph
The Steelers feel-good story of this season, Mason Rudolph’s tumultuous time with the team finally paid off. He faced some backlash from Ben Roethlisberger after he was drafted, and following his very up-and-down second season, most of the fans seemed to have soured on him.
I was convinced that he would leave last offseason, but the rest of the league didn’t seem keen on him either, so he returned on a minimal contract. He wasn’t given a real shot to compete for anything other than the third spot on the depth chart, but injuries forced him into action.
He hasn’t disappointed. In fact, I would argue that he has played the position exactly how the Steelers wanted their quarterback to play. He didn’t force anything, allowed the run game to open up, and made the occasional big pass down the field.
Do I think that Rudolph has suddenly become a viable long-term answer? No, but he could be a cheap substitute as they look to draft that guy. I think that has some validity. He has surprised this season and could build off that if given the opportunity.
Steelers could sign Ryan Tannehill
Once you get past the current options on the roster, things get murky for the Steelers quarterback position. Free agents are expensive and risky, as teams aren’t apt to let top-level quarterbacks go to other teams. This leads to big contracts eating up a lot of cap space with little to show for it.
If you want to go the free-agent route, you need the perfect fit or someone at a great value who could be a rebound candidate. I went for the former with this first name. Ryan Tannehill has had quite a career so far in the NFL. From first-round pick, franchise quarterback for the Dolphins, to eventual castoff on the Titans.
Once he landed in Tennessee though, he refound himself. For the most part, this was due to the weapons around him and the fact that he could put a lot of pressure on the run game. Tannehill wasn’t asked to win games, but instead to be a better-than-average game manager. As the talent around him got worse, so did his play.
The Steelers offer Tannehill a similar situation to what he had when he first got traded to the Titans. The run game is strong, there are ample receivers, and the offensive line is on the up and up. Assuming his contract doesn’t break the bank, he could provide an upgrade for this team and give them a punch in the arm like he gave the Titans at first.
Steelers could trade for Justin Fields
For the most part, I am against trading for a quarterback. Like the free agency route, teams aren’t going to get rid of top quarterback talent, but they can still fetch a great price for said player. Just look at Russell Wilson and DeShaun Watson from a few offseasons ago. Their respective teams gave up an arm and a leg to get them with poor results.
This offseason, there is one quarterback who is a hot name on the trade market. After securing the top pick in the draft, the Bears could seriously consider moving on from Justin Fields. While far from a complete player at this point, he has flashed some elite traits.
Fields is an absolute force on the ground and is probably one of the best running quarterbacks in the league outside of Lamar Jackson. Fields also boasts a strong arm, but his accuracy is poor at times and his decision-making is lacking. You would have liked to see some more development at this point, but the traits are all there.
What really opens the door is the projected deal that the Bears are reportedly considering. Supposedly, a first-round pick isn’t needed to get this deal done, and if all it takes is a day-two pick, then the risk could be worth the reward. He will want a new deal soon, but the Steelers would still have contractual control over him to see how good he is.
There is a lot of risk associated with Fields, but if you can trade for him relatively cheaply, you get a high-upside player for cheap. This offense would have to change significantly, but he certainly would be a unique name for this team if they went down this route.
Steelers could draft Jayden Daniels
Drafting a quarterback is almost always the best way to find your franchise guy. That being said, the Steelers aren’t in the best position to draft someone this year. Despite this class being a deeper one on paper most of the top options will likely be gone before Pittsburgh is on the clock. Having made it to the playoffs, a trade-up just became more expensive as well.
Four top names in this class have, in my opinion, a legitimate shot at becoming high-quality starters. Caleb Williams and Drake Maye will likely not be options, as both will be gone within the first few picks and a trade-up for them would cost too much. If either of the next two names falls out of the top ten, a trade-up is possible.
While Micheal Penix has picked up some steam, I think Jayden Daniels is the better fit and prospect. The reigning Heisman winner is a talented pile of clay right now. He has the prototypical size for the position, a cannon for an arm, and the ability to make plays on the ground. His mechanics are flawed, but those can be coached up
If Penix continues to rise up boards and Daniels becomes the fourth option, trading up could be feasible. He would need some time to develop and learn the ropes, but he has all of the tools to become a good player in this league. He has the traits you want in a franchise option, so he has to be on the table as an option this offseason.
Steelers could sign Baker Mayfield
When I talked about free agent options a few slides ago, I mentioned two types of names to target. While Tannehill is a great fit for this offense, the Steelers could get risky and bet on a reclamation project. The most intriguing name for that is a familiar one in Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield was drafted first overall by the Browns, and for a while, it looked like Cleveland had found their franchise guy. Mayfield had strong stats during his first few seasons and commanded the locker room well. This led to some success for the longstanding joke of a franchise.
He cooled off though, and Cleveland ultimately entered and won the DeShaun Watson sweepstakes. Mayfield bounced around teams a year ago before the Buccaneers added him with little fanfare this offseason.
He didn’t disappoint, as Tampa Bay won their division and Mayfield was one of the better statistical quarterbacks this season. While he still committed far too many turnovers, he also utilized the weapons he had to make impact plays. Of the free agent quarterbacks set to be available not named Kirk Cousins, Mayfield does the most to win games as opposed to just managing a game.
There is a good deal of risk with Mayfield, but if he has turned a corner, he could reclaim his spot as a potential top quarterback. If not, he likely flames out and sets you up to draft early to find his replacement. Because of these reasons, Mayfield is the most intriguing name to potentially replace Pickett this offseason.