Ben Roethlisberger’s absence in 2019 loomed even larger than his 6’5” frame that earned him the nickname Big Ben. Steelers fans across the world are certainly excited for a healthy Ben Roethlisberger to return to the field. Fans are also nervous that he might not be the same Ben Roethlisberger who has led the Steelers offense for more than a decade.
But does this make him the player you are most excited to see in the preseason?
Bleacher Report went through all 32 NFL teams and selected one player fans should be most excited to see in the preseason. For the Pittsburgh Steelers they chose Ben Roethlisberger.
They had this to say about the return of the 2-time Super Bowl winning QB:
The Pittsburgh Steelers are banking on Ben Roethlisberger’s ability to lift an offense that ranked 30th in yards and 27th in points last season. While a healthy Big Ben should improve those numbers, we are talking about a 38-year-old quarterback coming off elbow surgery.
So far, things appear positive for Roethlisberger and the Steelers.
“He’s comfortable and pleased with where he is. Some of the people that have had an opportunity to work out with him have been impressed and are pleased with where he is,” head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters.
While Roethlisberger may look good in private offseason workouts, Pittsburgh can’t know how he’ll fare against live competition until the preseason.
While most of thier assessment I can’t argue with, that last sentence doesn’t quite fit. Ben Roethlisberger has thrown 31 passes in the last two preseasons combined. His passer rating for the preseason was 99.2 in 2019, it was slightly lower in 2018, at 97.9.
In the 2018 regular season Roethlisberger led the NFL in pass attempts, completions and yards, and in 2019 he struggled to throw by Week 2 and shut down his season to fix his elbow. I don’t think we’ll see Ben Roethlisberger much in the preseason, and I put very little stock in his preseason performance.
What do you think?
Does Ben Roethlisberger need to throw a significant amount of passes this preseason? Or should the Steelers continue to play Roethlisberger as little as possible when the games don’t count? What players are you most excited to see this preseason?
The entire Bleacher Report article with their choices for all 32 NFL teams can be seen HERE.