Steelers' Mike Tomlin Unsure About Acquiring Quarterbacks In Free Agency Or NFL Draft In 2024

The Pittsburgh Steelers are going into another offseason with questions about the quarterback position. Mason Rudolph, who won all of his regular season starts in 2023, is at the end of his contract. Mitch Trubisky, the highest paid backup in the NFL, had an uninspiring stretch of games that led to him being the emergency third quarterback at the end of the season. To top it off, there have been allegations that Kenny Pickett has been toxic to the team, which may or may not have led to some players not wanting him as their quarterback. 

In his end-of-season press conference, Mike Tomlin announced that Pickett will be back, but there would be competition for that top quarterback spot. He also did not give any answers one way or the other about Trubisky's future with the team. Tomlin was asked about potentially going outside the organization to find competition for Pickett.

"Again, I'd be speculating at this juncture. We're just at the early stages of [the offseason]. I will acknowledge, obviously, that Mason Rudolph is scheduled to be a free agent, and we do have interest in doing continual business with him. The rest of it is kind of speculative at this point."

Out of all the quarterbacks on the current roster, Rudolph would be the biggest competitor to Pickett, as he had shown at the end of the season by taking the starting job. Trubisky lost the backup position and will likely be a cap casualty due to his contract. 

Steelers' Targets For Outside Competition

If the Steelers look to free agency, a likely pick up could be Kirk Cousins. Cousins has been a solid quarterback, but an Achilles tear ended his season with the Minnesota Vikings. Due to his age and injury recovery, he might not be given a starting job by any team. The Steelers could at least guarantee him a chance at the starting quarterback position through offseason competition. If he still has something in the tank, the Steelers can roll with him. If not, he can help mentor Pickett, or whoever would start at quarterback.

The Steelers could also bring in one of their former players. Joshua Dobbs had a surprisingly good stretch of games during his time with both the Arizona Cardinals and the Vikings in 2023. At very least, he could be a serviceable backup quarterback that could also act as a pseudo-quarterback coach. He did a great job as a coach for Ben Roethlisberger, so he could come back and help coach Pickett. Even if Dobbs manages to win the starting job, he can still help Pickett grow into a quality starter in the league. 

The Steelers could also add a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft, but it likely won't be a big name. With Pickett coming back and the Steelers merely looking for competition, they could opt to pick a quarterback in the mid-to-late rounds. If they do draft a quarterback, they will likely wait until the fourth round to start considering it. First three rounds will be for more immediate needs, such as the offensive line.

Despite that possibility, a later-round rookie quarterback will not provide much competition to the starting role. The team's best options for bringing in true competition would be in free agency. There are many quarterbacks in this free agency class that would make for quality competition, and the Steelers could pick one up for cheap. They could also just re-sign Rudolph, but not much is certain at this point. The only thing that is certain is that the Steelers need to find competition and not just hand Pickett the starting quarterback role on a silver platter.

What do you think about Mike Tomlin's comments on bringing in outside help. Who should the Steelers get to compete with Pickett? Let us know in the comments.

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