TJ Watt has no confidence that Steelers' current quarterbacks can replace Ben Roethlisberger
With Ben Roethlisberger out of the picture in Pittsburgh, TJ Watt has undoubtedly become the face of the franchise. He will likely remain so until the team finds their next franchise quarterback.
As for Watt, the pass rusher thinks the team doesn't have a solution in their current locker room.
According to Steelers Wire, the record holder for the highest number of sacks in a season was rather blunt.
“I trust the guys upstairs to be able to bring a guy in that can win us some games,” Watt said.
In other words, he is calling on the front office to look outside the locker room. By saying this, he is expecting them to bring in someone new.
Of course, this discredits the current quarterbacks on the roster in Joshua Hobbs and haskins" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Dwayne Haskins. Many speculated that Haskins was to be the eventual successor to Roethisberger.
How did Ben Roethlisberger, who has as many Super Bowl wins as Tony Romo has playoff wins, get dragged into this lol twitter.com/pff_sam/status…
However, based on this statement, it appears clear that Haskins has not done enough in practice to win over Watt. Had he impressed the star, he wouldn't have completely ignored his presence on the roster.
For the 27-year old player, he appears to be expecting a bit of a splash.
Why is TJ Watt pushing for a move at quarterback?
Considering the Steelers' place on the draft board at 20th overall, the team is going to need to make a big trade to get in range for a top quarterback. Otherwise, the linebacker would be satisfied with landing a big name in free agency or via trade.
However, if the front office decides to roll with someone on the roster, he is strongly implying he'll be disappointed.
Looks like #Bills all-time great Jim Kelly had dinner in Pittsburgh last night with #Steelers legends Ben Roethlisberger and Merril Hoge. From Kelly’s IG. https://t.co/vLnCrejEmZ
At 27 years old, the All-Pro linebacker is in the prime of his career. One would think he doesn't want to spend his prime years with a rebuilding quarterback room.
As such, if the team rolls with Dwayne Haskins, it could easily take them out of the running for 2022.
Then, using the resulting top pick, the team could draft a top quarterback.
By the time the rookie's first real season with Super Bowl hopes arrives (likely two or three years), Watt will be essentially 30 years old. By then, his prime will be in its twilight stages.
In other words, the Steelers will have spent the pass rusher's prime looking for a quarterback and far out of range to make a run. The 2021-2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year is hoping for a quick fix so he can be a core force behind the next win-now era.
Otherwise, he'll be a secondary piece in helping other core stars, similar to how Von Miller is now a helping piece with Aaron Donald as the star.
Watt wants to be the star of the show on the big stages with the Steelers. To do that, the team will need to make a move for a quarterback in 2022.