With the exception of some major contract talk breakdown, Ben Roethlisberger will be under center again for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021.
He told 93.7 The Fan's Steelers Insider Ed Bouchette (of the Athletic) on Thursday that he was willing to do whatever it takes money wise to help the Steelers be the best team they can be in 2021.
A lot of people are concerned with Roethlisberger returning at 39-years-old, but if he gets help, a lot of help, elsewhere, he can get that elusive third Super Bowl ring he's been aiming for. He also has to concede some things himself.
Roethlisberger didn't do himself any favors, throwing four interceptions in the ugly Wild Card loss to Cleveland and his play the last month of the season steadily declined.
But was it all his fault? No. People say you can't make excuses that they had no run game or offensive line troubles, but you can!
The Steelers had the worst rush offense in the entire NFL, were 28th in rushing attempts and 27th in rushing touchdowns.
You aren't going to win a Super Bowl with a 38-year-old QB and no run game.
So what do the Steelers need to do to to give Ben the best shot to lead PIttsburgh to one more ring.
Find a feature back:
Steelers James Conner is a free agent and likely won't return, so the team needs to find itself a starting tailback. Options are…
-stay with Benny Snell. The fourth round pick from Kentucky rushed for 113 yards in the Steelers opener against the Giants and 84 against Cincinnati. He is the cheapest option, already under contract for next season.
- Draft a tailback. They would need good fortune to find a starter in the later rounds. To find a realistic potential starter, they would likely have to use their first rounder on Travis Etienne (Clemson) or Najee Harris (Alabama). That could be the answer, but passing on first round offensive line help could be risky.
-Find a free agent. If they could find an impact running back in free agency with the few dollars they have to spend, Kevin Colbert is GM of the year.
Rebuild the offensive line:
Typically, good offensive lines are built over a few years of high draft picks and then supplementing with others. Steelers haven't used a first-round pick on an offensive lineman in nine years (David DeCastro). It was the same draft (2012), since they used a second-round pick (Mike Adams) on an offensive lineman.
Safe to say at least Alejandro Villanueva won't be back and even if Maurkice Pouncey stays, he and DeCastro are near the ends of their great careers. Starting guard Matt Feiler, a former starting tackle, is a free agent and his value may be too high for the cap situation.
While the Steelers have found solid players in later rounds or even undrafted (Villanueva, Ramon Foster, Feiler). It could really be bolstered by a first round stud and there are likely going to be options there when the Steelers pick.
Then there is the scheme and Ben being willing to listen to new OC Canada.
Talking to the PM Team, NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala says several players from other teams told her the Steelers, "literally the easiest offense to prepare for," in the NFL.
"This wasn't just about what Baltimore exposed and then Washington exploiting and then what we saw," added Kinkhabwala.
It's widely regarded that Roethlisberger had his hand in a lot of the play-calling decisions and planning. How does new offensive coordinator Matt Canada change that apparent fact of being easy to play against, while walking the line of keeping the Hall of Fame quarterback happy?
That may be the greatest challenge of this entire off-season, getting a near 40-year-old quarterback to buy into new ideas and potentially give up some control that he's enjoyed for a long-time.
Roethlisberger showed his has game left, can the Steelers find the best system to put him in. Surround him with the missing pieces despite being up against the salary cap. Devise a scheme that not only wins games, but meets with # 7's approval.
It's going to be some off-season.
