Steelers insane quarterback carousel between the Bradshaw and Roethlisberger eras

Kordell Stewart played a style of quarterback that was before its time

Kordell Stewart was a second-round pick by the Steelers in the 1995 NFL Draft. He joined the Steelers as they still had Neil O'Donnell as the starter. He would leave only a year later and that left Pittsburgh with a quarterback dilemma. Stewart and Mike Tomczak would battle in the preseason for the right to be the starting quarterback.

Stewart would not win the opening as the coaches believed that he needed more time to develop at the position. Stewart became a fan favorite as he was able to play receiver and quarterback that allowed the offensive play calling to get more open and exciting. His nickname was Slash, and everyone seemed to love his explosive play style.

Eventually, Stewart gained the starting quarterback role and that era of Steelers football never ended in a happy fashion. Stewart was not careful with the ball and forced a lot of turnovers to occur. That caused Pittsburgh to lose plenty of high-profile games both in the regular and postseason. He had some strong seasons and some that had you scratching your head.

The playoff failures are something that many fans cannot get past when they think of Stewart's legacy with Pittsburgh. He was an explosive playmaker both as a runner and a passer at certain times of his career. He was someone who played a brand of football that was well before his time. Without Stewart, there might not be players like Lamar Jackson nowadays.