John Elway was Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s hero. It is why he wore number seven in Pittsburgh. Whatever late-game magic Elway channeled to make his way to five Super Bowls, Roethlisberger had in spades. When the end of his career was in plain sight, he found a way to engineer seven fourth-quarter comebacks in his final season to drag the Steelers into the playoffs. Roethlisberger didn’t go out on the big stage like Elway, but his home finale against the Cleveland Browns was a special night.
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Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger walks off Heinz Field for the final time in his career.
The Steelers cut down their final roster to 53 on Tuesday. That included two impressive trades this week by Omar Khan to close the book on the 2021 Steelers interior offensive line. The Steelers parted ways with Kendrick Green, trading him to the Houston Texans for a sixth-round pick. On Monday, the Steelers traded Kevin Dotson, a fifth and sixth-round draft pick, to the Los Angeles Rams for a fourth and fifth-round draft pick.
Trai Turner played one season in Pittsburgh on a $3 million deal. Turner made five straight Pro Bowls from 2015 to 2019 for the Carolina Panthers. After he left the Panthers, he has been on one-year prove it deals with the Los Angeles Chargers, Steelers, Washington Commanders, and the New Orleans Saints. Turner tore his quad recently and was placed on injured reserve by the Saints. His best days are well behind him, but if he recovers, his reputation alone should land him on a roster in 2024.
Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger / YouTube: Channel Seven
Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger on his Footbahlin podcast.
Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger Rips Kevin Colbert For Draft Mistakes
On Episode 31 of Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, the former Steelers signal-caller expressed his disappointment to his co-host Spencer T’eo about Kevin Colbert’s assessment of Green being capable of replacing Maurkice Pouncey. In true Roethlisberger fashion, he took a sideways swipe at Colbert.
“The guy that they drafted, and I love this guy, I love Kendrick Green. He was my center my last year; They drafted that guy to be my center. Well, last year, he didn’t even dress. Now they have him playing a little fullback.”
The entire interior offensive line tasked with protecting Roethlisberger in his final season by Colbert and Mike Tomlin is officially gone. The sometimes-cantankerous quarterback wasn’t exactly thrilled with who the organization chose to block for him before the trades of Green and Dotson. It will be interesting to see if he has any thoughts on the matter now that the rest of his interior line will play for the Rams and Texans.
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Steelers offensive lineman Kendrick Green struggled in the first preseason game of 2023.
Green will benefit from a new lease on life in Houston. He had the almost impossible task of switching positions in his rookie season. Green not only had to become a competent NFL center in Pittsburgh, but the team slapped the future Hall of Fame center that he was replacing, Pouncey’s number on his back. Green went from slightly below average to an absolute disaster in the Minnesota Vikings game his rookie season, where he was finally benched. After he was benched, it was only a question of when, not if, he would move on.
Dotson was ranked as the 65th-best guard in the NFL in 2021 and the 36th-best in 2022 by Pro Football Focus. He started 30 games in three years for the Steelers. Dotson is now heading into a contract year in 2023 for the Rams. The Steelers acquired Isaac Seumalo to replace him, and unlike Dan Moore Jr., who seems to have successfully fought off first-round draft pick Broderick Jones for a starting role, he gave up his position without much of a fight.
%202023%20Camp%20Final%20with%20Logos/2L9A7680-544x306.jpg "Steelers Dan Moore Jr. and Broderick Jones")
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Steelers offensive tackles Dan Moore Jr. and Broderick Jones meet up during a training camp practice at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Roethlisberger’s 2021 tackles, Moore and Chukwuma Okorafor, are in place for now, but the Steelers did not draft Jones in the first round to sit on the bench. Eventually, one of them will give way to the rookie. It is likely that by the end of 2023, 80 percent of Roethlisberger’s starting offensive line during his final season will not be starting in Pittsburgh. Turnover happens in the NFL, but aside from Turner, all of those players were drafted recently by Colbert.
The future Hall of Fame quarterback took a lot of heat for his arm strength in his final season. The Steelers offense consistently threw short routes that came out of Roethlisberger’s hands at one of the fastest rates in the NFL. The Steelers didn’t throw deep, and the entire national media was all too happy to write off Roethlisberger’s arm strength.
Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger / YouTube: Channel Seven
Steelers' Kenny Pickett appears on Ben Roethlisberger's podcast.
Two years removed, Colbert should issue a public apology to his former quarterback for not giving him a capable offensive line that would allow him to prove whether he still could throw deep. The struggle was real in 2021. Thanks to Khan and Andy Weidl, Kenny Pickett will get the opportunity in 2023 to set his feet and show what a franchise quarterback can do with a quality offensive line.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Do you sympathize with Roethlisberger now that you know he played his final season under duress? Let me know what you think. Please comment below or on my Twitter / X: @thebubbasq.
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