Pittsburgh Steelers' Insider Believes Team Likely To Offer Former Clemson Quarterback A Contract

The Pittsburgh Steelers typically carry four quarterbacks on their roster heading into training camp. As of now, the only two signal callers who are locks to be in Latrobe are Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky. The team recently added former University of Minnesota quarterback, Tanner Morgan as an undrafted free agent, but there may be another quarterback at rookie minicamp who could shine: Hunter Johnson. His invite to the Steelers' rookie minicamp was first reported by Greg Doyle of the Indianapolis Star. 

Johnson had an extremely unique collegiate football career. He was rated as the top high school quarterback prospect in the nation by ESPN prior to arriving at Clemson during his freshman campaign in 2017. He saw limited action during his first year, and ultimately decided to transfer to Northwestern after Trevor Lawrence arrived at Clemson. He was forced to sit out the entire 2018 season and only appeared in eight total games over the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He opened 2021 with Northwestern as the starter, but was ultimately benched. 

In 2022, Johnson left Northwestern and returned to Clemson. He initially enrolled without having the intention of playing football, but was ultimately persuaded by Head Coach, Dabo Swinney to use his last year of eligibility as a backup quarterback for the Tigers. 

Could The Steelers Potentially Offer A Contract To Johnson? 

There is a reason Johnson was as highly rated as he was coming out of high school. The kid can play. His impressive arm strength and athleticism will undoubtedly catch the eyes of Steelers' coaches at rookie minicamp. He will certainly face an uphill battle of being in the NFL, as he struggled to prove his worth as a starting-caliber quarterback at both Clemson and Northwestern. However, success in college is not always an indication of being successful in the NFL. If the Steelers are patient enough, they may have the opportunity to have a diamond-in-rough-type player with Johnson. 

The chances of Johnson being offered a contract by the Steelers increase dramatically if the team does not elect to bring in a veteran quarterback via free agency. While many fans hope this ultimately happens, Bob Labriola of steelers.com, during his most recent installment of "Asked and Answered," does not foresee the team adding a signal caller anytime soon. 

I don't see the Steelers going the veteran route to add a quarterback now, mainly because I don't believe they are interested in spending the money it would require to sign one. And it's important to remember that the quarterbacks they're looking for at this stage are bottom-of-the-depth chart guys who would at best be competing for the No. 3 spot, because Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky are entrenched as the starter and backup, respectively," answered Labriola in regard to the Steelers' quarterback situation.  

Furthermore, Labriola believes Johnson may have a better chance of being on the Steelers' 90-man roster than what many people realize. 

"If [Hunter] Johnson puts together a decent showing during the May 12-15 rookie minicamp, it's possible the Steelers could offer him a contract to join the team as the fourth quarterback on the roster. If the Steelers offer, and Johnson accepts, I believe that will close the book on quarterbacks for the team's 90-man training camp roster," described Labriola. 

Final Thoughts On Johnson

The Steelers already have their top two quarterbacks in place for 2023 with Pickett and Trubisky. However, if past seasons have taught the team anything, it is that it is never a bad idea to have quality backup quarterbacks. As Labriola stated, if Johnson is able to impress at rookie minicamp, he may be a legitimate candidate to battle Morgan as the team's third-string quarterback. 

What are Yinz thoughts on Johnson? Do you view him as a viable option at backup quarterback? Would you rather the team sign a veteran? Let us know in the comments! 

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