Draft or trade: How should the Steelers replace Ben Roethlisberger?
Much has been made of Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers over recent times, and it hasn't been good viewing.
Last year, after starting the season with an 11-0 record, the Steelers ended up with a 12-4 record in the run home and then ran into Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. A game in which the Steelers got blown off the field 48-37.
Fast forward to this season and it does not make for happy reading for Steelers fans. Big Ben has looked every bit the 39-year-old quarterback he is. Roethlisberger has thrown for just 801 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. Not to mention his 35.5 QBR.
This has led to many pundits suggesting that Pittsburgh should move off the veteran quarterback and replace him after his below-average start to the season. But how do they do it? Trade or through the draft?
How do Steelers replace Roethlisberger?
At the ripe age of 39, and after showing visible signs that he is struggling at NFL level, it does seem rather farfetched to think a team would want to trade for Roethlisberger. Not many would be willing to take a chance on a quarterback that is clearly struggling, and his age is a concern as well. Not to mention the type of money he would command. His current deal this season sees him take home $14 million. Would a team want to take that on for an aging quarterback? It seems highly unlikely.
Having been in Pittsburgh his entire career, it would be rather odd to see Ben in a different uniform but that does not seem quite possible.
'I need to start faster. As an offense we need to start faster, but it starts with me. I need to get better with that because that's kind of the key to a successful day, starting fast.' - @_BigBen7
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As they say, when the end comes, it comes fast, and this is true in Roethlisberger’s case. In the first three games so far, Big Ben has hardly been mobile; he has been reluctant to make a throw down the field and simply doesn’t have the arm he once had. Much of that can be contributed to his elbow injury last season, but the fact is, it could very well be his last year in Pittsburgh.
Rodney Harrison on Ben Roethlisberger: “He looks extremely old.”
Then there is the draft, which is likely the Steelers' best option for getting Roethlisberger’s replacement. Much of this will depend on where Pittsburgh end up in the draft order, and the franchise will have to do something that has not been done in the Mike Tomlin era in order to get high enough to draft a quarterback — finish a season under 500.
There are some talented quarterbacks in college football this year, particularly Bryce Young, Spencer Rattler, Matt Corral and Dorian Thompson-Robinson, but the Steelers will likely not have a season good enough to allow them a shot at getting any of these players, so the draft might not be plausible either.
With Dwayne Haskins as the current back-up quarterback to Roethlisberger, the jury is still out on the former Washington signal-caller, so it remains rather uncertain where Pittsburgh go from this point.
One thing is for sure: if Ben Roethlisberger continues in similar fashion for much longer, a decision has to be made on his future, and whether it will be through trade or draft remains to be seen. But the Pittsburgh organization has some serious thinking to do.
Also Read: Who is Ben Roethlisberger's Wife, Ashley Harlan?