The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the middle of a playoff push once again, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that they are still in need of a long-term quarterback. Aaron Rodgers has exceeded some expectations, and while he may play one more season, the long-term answer likely isn’t on the roster right now.
While Pittsburgh has favored the veteran quarterbacks as of late, the best way to fix this problem is to draft and develop your future face of the franchise. That typically means spending your top pick on the position.
Unfortunately for the Steelers, the quarterback options for 2026 have dried up.
While still a stronger class than last year, it isn’t the star-studded group many made it out to be. The only constant has been Fernando Mendoza, and beyond that, the landscape has completely flipped.
Assuming they all declare, there seem to be three likely first-round picks: Mendoza, Dante Moore, and Ty Simpson. After that, you are talking about major question marks and the dreaded day two quarterback picks.
With all this in mind, the Steelers should be all in on Shedeur Sanders for the remainder of this season. Simply put, they need him to deliver right now.
The Pittsburgh Steelers benefit from Shedeur Sanders excelling right now
Personally, I don’t see an elite franchise quarterback with Sanders. While he has flashed at times, he has also looked erratic in the pocket, and his decision-making has been questionable. Some of that can improve, but I question if his tools will be enough to ever truly get him over the hump as a starter.
With two first-round picks, though, the Steelers need to have Sanders do enough to warrant not using either on a quarterback.
The downside of being in the playoff hunt is that the Steelers will be picking later in the draft, more than likely in the late teens or early twenties. Moving up for a quarterback will be likely, but that far down means it is even more costly to do so.
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I’m not going to sit here and figure out who is going where this early on. Heck, there is no guarantee that all three declare for the draft. Assuming you have three guys there, though, there is a real chance all three are drafted in the top ten.
Beyond the Steelers and Browns, you have teams like the Raiders and Jets who are clearly lacking in the quarterback room. The Rams have been heavily speculated to use one of their first-round picks on Matthew Stafford’s successor.
You also have some wildcard teams like the Vikings, Cardinals, and Saints who may look to move on from their starter. Suddenly, getting one of the top three quarterbacks becomes an issue.
If Sanders plays well enough, you eliminate a team with some serious ammo needing to take a passer in the draft. That doesn’t fix everything, but it helps.
No, we don’t have to be glued to our TV rooting for Sanders week in and week out, but for at least the remainder of this season, his doing well helps the Steelers. Once Pittsburgh has its franchise quarterback, their rooting interest ends, but for now, his success matters.