The Pittsburgh Steelers have a roster stacked with talent. Whether you are looking on the offensive or defensive side of the football, the team is brimming with players. However, there is one player who could change everything, for the offense, and that is Ben Roethlisberger.
Roethlisberger has hinted at his retirement before, and whether he plays in 2018 or not, the team has to start wondering who will be the next quarterback of the black-and-gold.
ESPN recently predicted who will be every team’s starting quarterback for the 2020 NFL season, and their prediction for the Steelers was surprising, to say the least.
Most would suggest the team would turn the job over to Landry Jones, while others will simply believe the organization would be best served finding the replacement via the NFL Draft. Either way, ESPN suggests the answer is already in the facility — Joshua Dobbs.
First, it should be noted, ESPN predicted all teams, but placed them in one of three tiers.
- Teams with no plan
- Teams with a plan
- Teams with a solid plan
The Steelers fall into the second tier of having a plan. Check out what they have to say about their prediction:
Pittsburgh Steelers
2020 QB: Joshua Dobbs
Primary QB from 2014-16: Ben Roethlisberger
Total team QBR 2014: 70.4 | 2015: 64.0 | 2016: 57.0
In 2018, Roethlisberger finally follows through on that retirement threat. Dobbs, a former student of rocket science at Tennessee who spent two years backing up Big Ben, grabs the controls in 2019. Headline writers fire up their rocket puns.
This suggestion is likely to go over like a lead balloon with the Steelers faithful, but Dobbs was drafted in the fourth round for a reason. Meaning, he certainly has some issues to work out, but his intelligence speaks for itself.
Throughout the preseason, Dobbs showed continual development and growth with every snap he played. Did he make some bone-headed throws? Absolutely, but a lot of young quarterbacks do just that in their first NFL action.
What was also noticeable about Dobbs was how he became a playmaker towards the end of the preseason. For every head-scratching play he made early in the preseason, he started to make plays for the Steelers towards the end of the preseason.
Is Dobbs the next ‘guy’ for Pittsburgh? ESPN certainly thinks so, but I have a feeling most will say ‘No’. Take the time to tell us what you think about the future of the Steelers’ quarterback position in the poll below:
Poll
What is the most likely outcome when Ben Roethlisberger retires?
This poll is closed
-
4%
Landry Jones takes over
-
30%
Joshua Dobbs is named the QB
-
46%
The Steelers find their next QB through the Draft
-
17%
Team picks up a Free Agent QB
-
0%
Other (Please explain in the comment section)