The Steelers way of doing business means something. It is unique to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it is the philosophy that they have used to build their team for decades. The Steelers have changed their philosophies through necessity because of changes in the NFL, but the core beliefs are largely unchanged. Pittsburgh builds for the long term, mostly through the NFL Draft, and looks for certain kinds of players that fit their idea of what a Pittsburgh Steelers player should look like in the black and gold.
Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers retired quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger (#7) runs on the field to warm up prior to a 2021 regular season game in Pittsburgh, PA.
Ben Roethlisberger spent 18 seasons in Pittsburgh. In Episode 24 of his Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger podcast, the future Hall of Fame quarterback told his co-host Spencer T’eo that he thinks the Steelers’ approach on offense is flawed. He wasn’t questioning the play-calling, but how the team was being constructed:
“Yeah, let’s let Kenny [Pickett] and this group come up together,” Roethlisberger observed. “But this group’s only going to be able to be together for three or four years before guys start leaving for free agency.”
Roethlisberger is not alone in this observation. The Steelers’ offense is very young and before the current contract explosions at wide receiver, tackle, and quarterback, there was something to be said for letting a unit gel together and play for five years or more with a cohesive unit. That NFL doesn’t exist anymore, and the Steelers have been slow to adapt. They are paying huge contracts on defense and the bill for a developing offense is going to come due sooner than anyone thinks.
“I still think adding a veteran wide receiver,” Roethlisberger continued. “Wide receivers, you get a veteran wide receiver, especially with the good wide receivers they have here. You got Diontae [Johnson] another year, you’ve got some really good guys that could benefit from having a veteran guy.”
The Steelers’ wide receiver room is surprisingly thin for a team that is considered the best in the NFL at developing wide receivers. The former Steelers quarterback is a huge fan of Diontae Johnson, so he may not be questioning his leadership, but the likelihood of a third contract in Pittsburgh by endorsing a veteran to mentor George Pickens and Calvin Austin III.
Credit: Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
George Pickens (14) celebrates a two-point conversion.
Odell Beckham Jr. Would Be A Good Fit With Mike Tomlin
Odell Beckham Jr. worked out for teams and the Steelers did not attend the session. Initial reports put the price tag for the veteran wide receiver at $20 million dollars, but that price is rapidly coming down. An aging wide receiver coming off of his second knee surgery and a lost season who just turned 30 is a risky proposition. Reports of mutual interest between the two parties are intensifying, but it still feels like a long shot. Beckham mentoring Pickens would be a very interesting scenario.
“The Steelers, I felt have done a lot in the past, is they try to get a bargain free agent,” Roethlisberger said. “Usually, it’s a guy that maybe was banged up, it’s like oh no he’s healthy now because they don’t want to pay a lot.”
The Steelers’ philosophy in free agency has long been to sign players who are entering their second contracts who they feel would fit in with the culture in Pittsburgh. Roethlisberger is not endorsing any particular free agent, but he effusively praised the signing of Patrick Peterson earlier in the podcast and the only receiver left in free agency who would fit that mold is Beckham.
Photo Credit: Michael Conroy / AP Photo
Steelers general manager, Omar Khan speaks to the media at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, IN.
Omar Khan has demonstrated that he is willing to break from the Steelers’ way of doing business in the past with a big midseason trade of Chase Claypool, aggressively pursuing upgrades on the offensive line in free agency, and signing a future Hall of Fame cornerback to a two-year contract, even though he is north of 30.
The future Hall of Fame signal-caller is calling for the Steelers to adapt to the modern NFL in his unique passive-aggressive style. Roethlisberger is not directly criticizing the organization’s philosophy, but he is suggesting it is outdated and that building for the long-term is no longer a viable strategy in 2023. He stops short of naming Beckham specifically, but based on the names available, there is no mistaking who he thinks they should sign to help Kenny Pickett.
What do you think, Steelers Nation? Is Roethlisberger right that the Steelers are desperately in need of an update in philosophy? Please comment below, or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
