Steelers should follow Saints formula at QB

           Last year on March 14 the Saints made an eye-opening move. They signed quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to a 1-year contract with a base salary of 7.25 million on a deal that could earn him up to 12 million in incentives. This was a bit of a head-scratcher at the time, considering New Orleans already had future Hall of Famer Drew Brees entrenched as the starter, and the fact that Bridgewater seemed primed to enter the NFL free-agent scene again looking to rebuild his brand and value as a QB1. The Miami Dolphins came knocking with an opportunity, but ultimately Bridgewater took the back-up role with the more talented team.

              With hindsight prevailing, Bridgewater is set to likely triple that base salary this year as he seeks a multi-year contract from a QB-needy team after tearing it up in New Orleans last season. But why is this important to the Steelers? Because they are in a similar position as the Saints were last year. A team that on paper has all of the makings of a top-tier contender in the AFC. So if Ben Roethlisberger gets dinged (albeit hopefully not for the entire season like last year), you’ll need someone who can step up and confidently keep the team afloat, or possibly even in super bowl contention – just like Bridgewater did.

Teddy went 5-0 with Drew Brees out in 2019 battling right elbow and thumb issues, and ultimately saved a season that would likely have been bleak if they had turned to an unproven player – similar to Mason Rudolph or Duck Hodges. Even with Brees missing a handful of games the Saints were arguably still the favorites in the NFC after still securing the #3 seed prior to bowing out in ugly fashion to the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild-Card round.

The Steelers went 8-8 last year and barely missed the playoffs with quite simply inept quarterback play much of the way. Who knows what would have happened if a veteran with some moxy would have entered the fray? With an elite level defense and strong skill position players, I don’t doubt they could have made some noise in the AFC Playoffs.

              So we look ahead to 2020. The defense remains top-tier, and the skill position players I trust such as James Conner and JuJu Smith-Schuster should once again regain All-Pro status due to the return of a threat at quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger. But if Ben gets dinged again and you have to turn to Rudolph, Hodges, or a rookie for say five games – you can once again count this team out.

              I’m not suggesting this team should sign Jameis Winston or even Teddy Bridgewater like some in the media currently are, but they should absolutely take a hard look into a few veterans who provide an immediate improvement at the backup position. Chase Daniel and Case Keenum are both experienced signal callers who both fit that bill, and are both on the market. With the re-structuring of a few contracts to free up some dollars, Kevin Colbert absolutely has to bring one of these player types in to provide some security behind Ben. I’m not giving up on Mason Rudolph, but I would make him the third string for a season, take some pressure off - and allow him to grow and re-establish his ascent by learning from the sidelines. Duck Hodges can be cut, or fall to the practice squad. A Chase Daniel signing allows this team to remain a legitimate super bowl contender in the case that a 38-year old Ben coming off of major elbow surgery misses a few games (which is the norm anyways each year). 

Some have mentioned drafting a QB like Jalen Hurts in the 2^nd round. Please, no. I think that would put the Steelers in the same position they’re already in – not ready to compete for a Championship, the ultimate prize - if their starter should go down. Not many teams can sustain this happening at all. The Saints, a very similar team on paper - provided a model that could, and nearly did.

Mike Nicastro – Yinzer Crazy Co-Founder and Blog Boy.