The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offseason plan at quarterback has been simple to doubt from the skin.
Mike Tomlin gave unreliable veteran Aaron Rodgers months to resolve whether or not he undoubtedly needed to play within the Metal Metropolis with no good backup plan on the depth chart if the mercurial Rodgers determined to retire.
Pittsburgh did not re-sign Justin Fields (Jets), let Russell Wilson (Giants) stroll out the door, changed them with free agent signing Mason Rudolph and rookie sixth-round choose Will Howard — after which they waited.
And waited. Till Rodgers lastly agreed to phrases on a one-year contract on Thursday.
Whereas Pittsburgh’s slow-played signing of Rodgers was unorthodox, former Steelers Tremendous Bowl champion Willie Colon mentioned Thursday on the “Talkin’ Ball with Pat Leonard” podcast that the Steelers needed to assume massive to take the following step as a company.
“Listen, the Steelers realize they have to be able to compete in that division,” Colon mentioned forward of his eleventh annual Willie Colon Golf Outing benefiting the Lupus Analysis Alliance on June 23 at Canoe Brook Nation Membership (N.J.). “And final yr, once they misplaced their final 5 video games, they misplaced to MVP-type high quality quarterbacks. You’re speaking about Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson.
“And they looked at Russell Wilson and realized they don’t have anybody on their roster like that,” Colon added. “So they now are in a position where, ‘We have this defense that’s young and competing, that can fight. We have enough offensively. We just don’t have that killer, that elite quarterback.’”
Rodgers, 41, after all, was gentle years off of his four-time MVP pedigree throughout a disastrous two seasons with the Jets. That was headlined by tearing his Achilles in his first sport with the crew to open the 2023 season, together with the off-field sideshow his presence and public feedback typically created.
Nonetheless, the rationale the Steelers pursued him is identical motive the Giants sought him as their Plan B after chasing a Matthew Stafford commerce with the Rams:
Rodgers confirmed flashes of regaining his type late final season, and his high stage is second to none if and when he reaches it.
“The last 10 games with Aaron Rodgers when he was with the Jets, he became healthier, they shored up the left side by getting Olu Fashanu there, and he started to play better,” mentioned Colon, an FS1 analyst who performed three seasons for the Jets to complete his profession. “And the more he gained confidence with himself you started to see splashes of the old Aaron Rodgers.”
Pittsburgh doesn’t look like completed upgrading its offensive weapons, both.
Tomlin swapped out George Pickens for D.J. Metcalf at receiver, buying Metcalf in a commerce from the Seahawks earlier than dealing Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys. They’ve a speedy deep risk in Calvin Austin III and a workmanlike tight finish in Pat Freiermuth.
They drafted working again Kaleb Johnson out of Iowa and signed Kenny Gainwell from the Eagles. They reportedly appeared into buying and selling for Dolphins tight finish Jonnu Smith, a necessity exacerbated by the torn Achilles of tight finish Donald Parham Jr. And so they’ve hosted large receiver Gabe Davis on a free agent go to.
All of these further items solely find yourself being as helpful, although, because the quarterback delivering the ball to them in coordinator Arthur Smith’s offense.
That’s why Colon mentioned the Steelers’ anticipate Rodgers was price it: in a division with Jackson and Burrow, if the Steelers don’t have a star quarterback, they don’t have anything in any respect.
“I think the Steelers are aware they’re hiring a mercenary, they’re hiring an old gun,” Colon mentioned. “And I believe they’re keen to put in mattress with that. You have a look at the division with Burrow, who threw 40 plus touchdowns final yr, and Lamar Jackson coming off one other high quality MVP season. And also you’re the Pittsburgh Steelers. You want a quarterback that may bang in opposition to these guys.
“I think the Steelers are smart,” He mentioned. “I think they know what they’re doing.”
WHAT GIANTS GET WITH WILSON
Regardless of Wilson’s shortcomings with the Steelers, Colon mentioned the veteran quarterback can assist the Giants win video games this season. “It’s all about what you’re asking Russell to do,” he mentioned.
“He can still throw it deep,” Colon mentioned. “He nonetheless has sufficient mobility. His greatest situation going into Pittsburgh final yr [from Denver] was taking unwarranted sacks. Can the [Giants] manufacture this offense the place he’s getting the ball out fast, he’s capable of be extra cell within the pocket?
“When you’ve got Russell moving with the pocket, he seems to come alive a little bit,” he added. “[You should be] getting the run game behind him and not asking him to throw the ball more than 30 times. When he gets into the high volume range where he has to make a lot of decisions, I think he gets himself in trouble.”
Colon mentioned defending Wilson gained’t be simple as a result of the Giants “have a hellacious front seven,” exterior of left sort out Andrew Thomas.
However he believes if the Giants can maintain a adequate working sport and play behind an improved protection, Wilson and a talent group that features Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton and Jalin Hyatt might discover a solution to maintain some offense.
“As great as Russell Wilson’s moon balls were and were awesome to see and he was scoring touchdowns, the man couldn’t throw in the middle of the field,” Colon mentioned of Wilson’s highs and lows in Pittsburgh. “The whole lot was on the skin of the numbers, and he was simply stretching down the sphere and it was dink and dunks [otherwise].
“It’s about making sure Russell is getting the ball out of his hands and not feeling like he has to carry that weight,” the Tremendous Bowl champion former NFL guard added. “He can’t do it like he used to, but he can still be efficient enough. I think we were able to see that in Pittsburgh.”
Help the Lupus Analysis Alliance and Colon’s eleventh annual golf outing at https://give.lupusresearch.org/.
