It has been a one-of-a-kind offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020. With the scheduled start of training camp just days away, it looks like we’ll have to wait until opening weekend to see the Steelers take the field. Just because the NFL has cancelled the preseason doesn’t mean we stop providing you with features, commentary and opinions to tide you over throughout the offseason!
Today in the black-and-gold links article we take a look at the battle in training camp to be the Steelers third quarterback on the roster.
Let’s get to the news:
- Not having preseason games will make the battle of the depth chart at quarterback hard to judge
Steelers’ No. 3 QB: Hodges or Lynch?
By: Dale Lolley, DK Pittsburgh Sports
The Steelers will open training camp July 28 at Heinz Field. As is usually the case, camp will include a number of battles, not just for roster spots, but for starting jobs.
This series will take a look at those battles as we head into camp.
Today: No. 3 quarterback
Who: Devlin Hodges, Paxton Lynch, J.T Barrett
The Skinny: There’s an adage in football that says if you’re down to your third-string quarterback, you’re in a lot of trouble. The Steelers bucked that old standard for much of the 2019 season until it finally rang true in the final three weeks of the season.
Ben Roethlisberger will be back this season and the expectation is that he should be good as ever after playing just six quarters in 2019. And the Steelers have been adamant about their faith in Mason Rudolph as the backup, so much so they didn’t explore any other options, despite some erroneous reports to the contrary.
But the Steelers also believe organizationally in keeping three quarterbacks on their active roster. And they will definitely do so again.
So, will it be Hodges, who was released at the end of training camp, then re-signed after Josh Dobbs was traded to the Jaguars, going 3-3 as a starter? Or, will it be former Broncos’ first-round draft pick Lynch, signed after Roethlisberger was injured? Or, might it be Barrett, who was added to the practice squad late in the year when Rudolph was injured?
The Edge: This will be interesting without actual preseason games to help decide this battle.
Believe it or not, Hodges has the most experience of the group despite joining the Steelers as an undrafted rookie last season. His eight career games played are three more than Lynch. His six starts are two more than Lynch has made. And all of Lynch’s playing time came in 2016 and 2017 for the Broncos.
To read the full article, click HERE (Free)
- Looking at Ben Roethlisberger being the answer to all the Steelers questions on offense
Top issue as Pittsburgh sports return: How much can Ben Roethlisberger fix the Steelers offense?
By: Tim Benz, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
All week at “Breakfast with Benz,” we’ve been tackling the biggest issues surrounding Pittsburgh’s three pro sports teams as our region’s franchises return to play after a four-month absence thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Steelers will be the last team back. That’s if the NFL can get off the ground in time for the regular season in September.
Assuming that happens, there’s no doubt what the most dominant question of Pittsburgh sports will be heading into this season: What will the Pittsburgh Steelers do in 2020 with a healthy Ben Roethlisberger back at quarterback?
When there are no sports to watch, we’ve got to find something.
In Pittsburgh’s case, it was the waistline of the starting quarterback.
Frankly, I never thought Roethlisberger looked as out of shape as people suggested when he was spotted with the West Virginia Mountaineer.
To read the full article, click HERE (Free)
- Checking out players who need to step up for the Steelers in 2020
Who’s on the hot seat for Steelers? Big Ben, JuJu top the list
By: Joe Rutter, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
When a perennial contender misses the playoffs two years in a row, there is no shortage of players being counted upon to reverse that trend.
Such is the predicament the Steelers find themselves in as they try to bounce back from an 8-8 season that concluded with three consecutive losses.
While the Baltimore Ravens are favored to win the AFC North for a third year in a row — something no team in the division has done — the Steelers could unseat them if the fortunes change for several of their top players.
Here are five:
Ben Roethlisberger
Not only is the franchise quarterback trying to come back from the most significant injury — and absence — of his career, he is doing so after turning 38 in the offseason.
General manager Kevin Colbert thinks Roethlisberger’s surgically repaired right elbow could be stronger than before his injury in Week 2 against Seattle. Roethlisberger also didn’t have another year of wear and tear on his arm.
To read the full article, click HERE (Free)
- BTSC articles you may have missed
The Steelers sign all six of their 2020 draft picks
The Steelers edge rushers can accomplish something the NFL hasn’t seen in the past 6 seasons
5 second-tier X-factors for the Steelers this season
Pittsburgh didn’t miss out of the Blue Jays, the Blue Jays missed out on Pittsburgh
- Social Media Madness
RT to wish @MaurkicePouncey a #HappyBirthday! pic.twitter.com/FbtyKSZDCi
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) July 24, 2020
Happy #OpeningDay, @Pirates! #LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/IM47oDjZDf
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) July 24, 2020
We have signed all six of our 2020 NFL Draft picks to four-year contracts!@ChaseClaypool | @highsmith34 | @AnttMacc_ | @kdd7696 | @TwanDoee | @_KING_LOS__
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) July 24, 2020