Steelers Next Stroke Of Genius This Offseason Could Be To Rescue One Of These 3rd Round QB Castoffs From 2022

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a phenomenal draft in 2023 by all accounts and if the class is as good as most prognosticators think, the Steelers may return to the playoffs after a one-year absence. The first draft by Omar Khan, Andy Weidl and Mike Tomlin as a group appears to be the perfect blend of philosophy and opportunity. Tomlin will be responsible for bringing it all together but there is no doubt that a cohesive strategy has emerged.

The 2023 class has a lot to live up to after the 2022 draft produced a potential franchise quarterback in Kenny Pickett and one of the best wide receivers in the class in George Pickens. DeMarvin Leal, Connor Heyward and Mark Robinson all appear to be solid pieces of the team going forward and Calvin Austin III has a chance to make his mark during the upcoming campaign. They even had an undrafted free agent, Jaylen Warren, who has solidly secured himself in the running back rotation with Najee Harris.

The Steelers have improved at nearly every position, but they need a long-term solution at backup quarterback. Mitch Trubisky is signed for one more season and he is solidly entrenched in the number two position, but the Steelers normally take four quarterbacks to training camp. They signed Tanner Morgan from the University of Minnesota as an undrafted free agent after the draft, but they are still one arm short heading into the offseason program.

The current crop of veterans who could still be signed is an uninspiring list of names that include veterans like Carson Wentz and Teddy Bridgewater. The Steelers have a better version of that kind of quarterback in Trubisky and the team has to hope he embraces a long-term backup role. If the Steelers feel like he is just marking time to escape back to free agency and take one more shot at becoming a starter, then they need a long-range plan that does not eat up a lot of cap space.

Pickett is the solid starter but other quarterbacks the Steelers were extremely high on during the 2022 draft process are not. Specifically, Malik Willis and Matt Corral are not in the Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers’ plans. The Steelers demonstrated significant interest in both last offseason and Willis was rumored to be the organization's preference right up until they selected Pickett with pick 20 in the first round of last year’s draft.

Willis did not go until the third round in 2022 and the Titans were praised for getting significant value with the selection. He demonstrated his unique skillset during the preseason and fans in Nashville forgot that Willis was a project. The former Liberty quarterback had a tantalizing skill set but needed seasoning to adapt to the step-up in competition in the NFL.

The Titans organization executed this plan perfectly with Steve McNair from Alcorn State two decades ago, so they seemed equipped to handle the transition. They could not have foreseen that Ryan Tannehill would get hurt and force Willis into action sooner than he was ready. Willis played poorly as a rookie and when the season was on the line late in the year, they turned to former Steelers quarterback Joshua Dobbs to save their season. The Titans drafted Will Levis early in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft and he is now the heir apparent for the Titans.

Corral, conversely, was the victim of the exact opposite circumstances. The Ole Miss quarterback was viewed as a contender for the Panthers' starting job, but Matt Rhule sidelined the young signal caller. After Baker Mayfield beat out Sam Darnold, Rhule threw Corral out against the Patriots in the final preseason game behind a makeshift offensive line and watched him be lost for the year with a broken foot in a meaningless preseason game. Rhule was fired five weeks later.

The Panthers selected Bryce Young as their franchise quarterback and unless something catastrophic happens, Corral’s days are numbered in Carolina. The Panthers didn’t just select Young, they traded up to get him and brought in Andy Dalton to mentor him. His new coach Frank Reich doesn’t seem too impressed with his remaining quarterback from last season.

“The message to all the players is to earn it out on the field,” Reich said. “We're excited about the direction we are going, and we trust that the guys inside the locker room are excited as well.”

It does not seem that Mike Vrabel and Reich have long-term plans that involve Willis and Corral just one year into their NFL careers. The Steelers' head coach is perhaps the best in the NFL at evaluating and then filing his thoughts away on players who slip through the cracks during their first contracts. It is possible that Corral and Willis were given careful consideration as the player to lead the Steelers into the future but fell short of Pickett in the evaluation in the eyes of Tomlin. 

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It is equally possible that he saw enough in one or both of the young men to rescue them from teams that don’t believe in their skill sets. The pair of third-round draft picks might not be franchise quarterbacks at this point, but one or both could be capable of becoming a high-end backup who can earn his way into a starting job with competent play somewhere else in the NFL. 

Tomlin is not opposed to this type of reclamation project and was in the process of attempting to resurrect Dwayne Haskins’ career before his tragic death last offseason. Neither the Panthers nor Titans are particularly interested in their third-string quarterbacks as reminders of a draft pick gone wrong, so they would likely be cheap additions for mid to late-round draft picks. Pickett who is very secure in his own skin seems perfectly equipped to handle the arrival of one of his classmates in the QB room in Pittsburgh. 

Khan is putting together a reputation quickly as one of the savviest executives in football. Pulling a long-term backup quarterback who is still on a rookie contract for the next three seasons would be a good move in a series of great ones. Turning that young player into appealing trade bait for a quarterback-starved NFL and flipping him down the road for significant compensation would be just another feather in the cap for the Khan artist. 

What do you think Steeler Nation? Should the Steelers consider dipping into last year’s draft class as insurance for Pickett and Trubisky? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.  

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