#Steelers face harsh QB reality after Ben Roethlisberger

Welcome to Quarterback Hell, Pittsburgh. 

If Steelers fans think they saw a preview of what it looks like Sunday night — when the first half of a 42-21 loss to the Chiefs in the AFC wild-card round of the playoffs ended with fewer net passing yards (13) than Ben Roethlisberger dropbacks (15) — they haven’t seen anything yet. 

It can’t get worse? Oh, it can. It does. It probably will when Roethlisberger makes his retirement official in the coming days. 

“It was meant to be that I was going to wear black and gold,” Roethlisberger said. “On [2004] draft day, I had a black suit on with a gold tie. I’m hoping that I’m able to pass the legacy of what it is to be a Steeler … on to some of the guys.” 

The Steelers made nine draft picks in 2021 — after the final six games revealed just how close to the end of the line Roethlisberger was — and didn’t use one on a quarterback. The Steelers sat idly by and let the last of five first-round quarterbacks, Mac Jones, slip into the hands of the rival Patriots at pick No. 15 while settling for running back Najee Harris at No. 24. 

As the high-powered Chiefs sputtered through the first 20 minutes, the Steelers had an opportunity to grab a big lead, play from ahead and strike the fear of an upset. Instead they punted on each of their seven first-half possessions, becoming the first team to do that in a playoff game since the 2010 Seahawks. 

The Steelers had 45 offensive yards (and a defensive touchdown) at a time when the Chiefs had 35 points. Roethlisberger’s timing with receivers seemed off — even on the short routes relied upon for two years because of his weakened arm strength — and he finished 29 of 44 for 215 yards with two touchdowns, only after piling up garbage-time numbers. 

“Shoot, we thought last week was going to be the end,” Roethlisberger said of the way the Steelers backed into the playoffs. “This would be emotional no matter what. We never like to lose. [Retirement] will probably really hit me come training camp time.” 

Maybe the Steelers were fooled by one throwback performance in a loss, when Roethlisberger threw for a near-playoff record 501 yards on 47 attempts in trying to lead the comeback from a 28-0 deficit but falling short, 48-37, against the Browns in 2021. It wouldn’t be the first time nostalgia for a two-time Super Bowl champion caused interference, as Giants fans can attest. 

Either way, the Steelers could head into free agency with a quarterback depth chart of one: Mason Rudolph. Both Dwayne Haskins (restricted) — a first-round bust of Washington’s in 2019 — and Josh Dobbs (unrestricted) are free agents. That trio of Roethlisberger backups is 8-14-1 combined starting NFL games, anyway. 

“Wide open to all of it,” general manager Kevin Colbert said before the 2021 draft of possibly drafting Roethlisberger’s successor. “We always have to be on the look for that next guy and try to predict the value of taking that player at that position, because most likely a young quarterback won’t play for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021.” 

But Colbert opted against the draft-and-groom scenario favored by the Packers, 49ers and Chiefs. And the Steelers squeezed out one more playoff appearance. 

The only flaw in the plan was that extra game reminded everyone of the Steelers’ pressing need. Roethlisberger finished the third quarter with a negative-26 completion percentage over expectation, according to NextGenStats. 

The sad offensive display wasn’t just about Roethlisberger. Could the sloppy Steelers, hurt by Diontae Johnson’s reappearing issues with drops and Harris’ aloof ball security, have done more to help him? 

“You think?” coach Mike Tomlin asked rhetorically. “Yeah!” 

Tomlin choked back emotions on the end of Roethlisberger’s career: “I don’t have the words.” 

So, now the Steelers will be mentioned as a potential suitor for a Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson trade. And as a place for a free-agent journeyman to restart his career. And as a destination for a weak crop of quarterback draft prospects, headlined by the possibility of keeping University of Pittsburgh star Kenny Pickett in town. 

It’s not a comfortable spot. Just ask the Saints, who started four quarterbacks and missed the playoffs by one game in Year 1 after Drew Brees. Or the Giants, who thought things were bad in Manning’s final few seasons until other quarterbacks went 13-32 over the past three seasons. 

The Patriots got knocked out of the playoffs on the same weekend as the Steelers. In similarly humbling fashion. At least they have Mac Jones to feel good about.