Should the Steelers take the Patriots route at QB in 2022?

Ben Roethlisberger was crazy to return in 2021 behind an offensive line that couldn’t block a flea. He’d be even crazier to return in 2022 behind an offensive line that still won’t be able to block a flea. And the Pittsburgh Steelers would be silly to let him.

So, what are the Steelers to do? They’ve put themselves in a pickle where their quarterback is overdue for retirement, and there’s no starting-caliber answer on the current roster.

The New England Patriots were in a similar situation after Tom Brady up and left for Tampa Bay in 2020. Instead of promoting from within with Jarrett Stidham or veteran Brian Hoyer, they opted for free agent Cam Newton. It wasn’t a pretty sight — the Pats went 7-9, and Newton threw more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (8).

The experiment gone wrong set them up to draft their quarterback of the future in one Mac Jones.

As our friends over at Patriots Wire recently pointed out, though — the Pats were lucky to land Jones when they did because the 2022 NFL draft class of quarterbacks is a stinker.

Shiny new QBs have been the draw of the draft since the beginning of time, and as badly as the Steelers need one, they might be better off waiting.

It didn’t work out with Newton in New England. But as the saying goes, You never know until you try. Should the Steelers try the free agency route? Maybe Marcus Mariota can hold Pittsburgh over until a better quarterback draft class comes along.

Then again, Mason Rudolph can (probably) do the same thing. And that’s likely what the Steelers will do — go with what they know. As painful as it’ll be, Rudolph knows the system. He may not play well in it, but he knows it.

Rudolph can’t hold a candle to Roethlisberger’s talent — even the near 40-year-old Roethlisberger — and Pittsburgh could find itself in a top draft spot come 2023.

While top draft spot doesn’t guarantee a franchise quarterback, it does mean one thing — the team in that position is bad and has a long way to go to being good again.