The Steelers need a quarterback but Former Buffalo Bills General Manager Doug Whaley says that Steeler fans need to be patient.
Whaley tells The Fan Morning Show that just because they need a quarterback doesn’t mean they should rush out to get one, whether that’s in the draft, with a trade or in free agency.
“Are we ready to be patient to get the right QB or do you just want a QB?” asked Whaley. “If you want a QB, yeah you can go (Jimmy) Garoppolo, a guy that can’t stay healthy, when he’s healthy, yeah he does win but the best ability is availability and Carson Wentz, he just showed you that when you need him most against a very poor team, he can’t deliver to get you into the playoffs.
Whaley adds that there is a reason quarterbacks will be available via trade or free agency, they’re not QBs that can get you to a Super Bowl.
When it comes to the draft, Kenny Pickett and Malik Willis are two names that have been floating around but Whaley says if any QB on this year’s draft class was available last year, they wouldn’t be 1st round picks.
“This draft class . . . if you take the top three draftable quarterbacks this year and put them in last year’s draft, they’re going to be second or third-rounders,” said Whaley. “If you look ahead and you put them in next year’s draft they’re going to be late first rounder to second rounder at best.”
Whaley adds that Pickett and Willis are going to be “over-drafted” meaning they’ll be drafted a lot earlier than they should be.
The best strategy for the Steelers, according to Whaley, is to shore up other positions.
“Why don’t you get a corner, why don’t you go get another offensive lineman, why don’t you get a lineman that can cover, because then when you find that quarterback you will have a team built around him to help him expedite his growth like they did with Ben Roethlisberger when we had the number one defense and the number one rushing attack, that’s how you can have a second-year quarterback take you to the Super Bowl,” said Whaley.
That means doing someone a lot of Steelers fans don't want to see. Relying on Mason Rudolph or Dwayne Haskins in 2022