The Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback room has undergone a major transformation this offseason. All three quarterbacks who saw starts in 2023—Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, and Mitch Trubisky—are no longer with the team. This offseason, the Steelers brought in several new quarterbacks, but two are grabbing the most attention.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Former Steelers quarterbacks Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, and Mitch Trubisky wait for a drill to start during a practice.
Russell Wilson was signed on a one-year deal for the veteran minimum. Additionally, the Steelers traded for former first-round pick quarterback, Justin Fields. Head Coach Mike Tomlin has stated that Wilson is currently the front-runner for the starting position. Fields will have a chance to compete for the job, but as it stands, the starting spot is Wilson's to lose.
The new Steelers quarterbacks have dominated headlines across the national media. On an episode of SPEAK, NFL analyst Emmanuel Acho criticized the Steelers for how they have handled their quarterbacks, offering some interesting reasoning.
"Pittsburgh is where quarterbacks go to die. I didn't want to do this because I didn't believe it until I started talking through it. Byron Leftwich, Mike Vick, their careers, they came to an end in Pittsburgh. Charlie Batch, his career came to an end in Pittsburgh. Dennis Dixon, his career came to an end in Pittsburgh. Kenny Pickett, his career as a starter came to an end in Pittsburgh. Mitch Trubisky, his career as a starter came to an end in Pittsburgh. Mason Rudolph, his career came to an end in Pittsburgh."
Acho asserted that Tomlin is primarily responsible for the failures of all these quarterbacks.
"The only dilemma I fall into with Ben Roethlisberger is that Ben Roethlisberger was [inherited] by Mike Tomlin. All of these other quarterbacks that I'm naming, and all these other quarterbacks you're seeing, he didn't inherit them like he inherited Ben Roethlisberger. Every quarterback Mike Tomlin acquired, their careers come to an end there. I'm not making this up."
The panel of hosts pushed back on Acho, stating that his list was laughable and that no one expected these backup quarterbacks to become stars in Pittsburgh.
"They are twos and threes, but could they have been ones? Pickett was a first-round pick. Landry Jones was a third round pick, I believe. Mason Rudolph was a fourth-round pick. If you look across the NFL, you see fourth-round picks. Kirk Cousins. You see fourth-round picks. Dak Prescott. You see third-round picks. Nick Foles. You see third-round picks. Russell Wilson. Yes, these are twos and threes, but were they twos and threes by nature, or were they twos and threes by nurture."
As Acho presented his argument, the other three hosts vehemently disagreed, criticizing the quarterbacks he mentioned. They pointed out that several of these players were never expected to be great, and many were not anticipated to make a significant impact when they joined Pittsburgh.
SPEAK
NFL analyst Emmanuel Acho blasts the Steelers and Mike Tomlin with a list of quarterbacks he believes were failed by the organization.
Joy Taylor found Acho's argument laughable, remarking that its poor reasoning was stressing her out. Acho even went so far as to criticize Tomlin, claiming that the only good quarterback he has had was Roethlisberger, whom he inherited.
Steelers Have Failed In The Post-Roethlisberger Era
The truth is that many of the quarterbacks on that list didn't succeed in Pittsburgh. The only valid criticism is that the Steelers lacked a solid plan post-Roethlisberger and have struggled to find his heir apparent. However, the only player on Acho's list who could be remotely considered a failure by the organization is Pickett, and even that is not necessarily certain at this point.
The Athletic
Former Steelers Offensive Coordinator, Matt Canada watches Kenny Pickett before a game.
Acho has no faith that Wilson can revive his career in Pittsburgh. However, Wilson remains unfazed by the past two seasons. He is fully confident he can return to his prime form and lead the Steelers back to the Super Bowl hunt. While that is a lofty goal, anything is possible in the NFL. The Steelers have improved in all areas, including special teams, and are starting to make noise as a sleeper team. Despite this, Acho continues to underestimate Wilson and the Steelers.
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