The Pittsburgh Steelers are not too focused on the NFL Draft at this point, as they have managed to get great quarterback play in Week 1. New quarterback Aaron Rodgers had four touchdown passes as his unit edged out former Pittsburgh quarterback Justin Fields and the New York Jets. If he continues to play as well as he did to begin the season, he could stick around for another year and delay the process of searching for the new franchise quarterback, despite the immense draft capital they have currently.
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Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
One of those draft picks could fall off entirely though. While New York Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll eventually named Russell Wilson as the starting quarterback for Week 2, he was not so sure about it after Sunday's loss to the Washington Commanders.
"We're going to get home and look at our game. Collectively, we all have to be better," Daboll said when being questioned about the starting quarterback in Week 2.
If Daboll is already considering a change at the quarterback position after Week 1, then it's a clear indicator that Wilson will have a very short leash in New York. As the press conference continued, he kept trying to show confidence in his starter while not committing to him until Monday. Either way, he may be benched sooner rather than later if poor performances like that start stacking up.
If he gets benched, then the first-round rookie Jaxson Dart would likely get the start. The rule of thumb for rookie first-round quarterbacks is to not bench them no matter what, especially if a team is in a rebuilding year, as doing so would hurt their confidence in the long run. If the Giants stick to that rule of thumb, then Dart will be given the keys for the foreseeable future.
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Former Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart.
That's a bad sign for the Steelers, who are looking to get some better compensation for losing Wilson. Currently, Pittsburgh is projected to receive a fifth-round compensatory pick for Wilson, but the hope was that he would do well enough for that pick to move up and be a fourth. Instead, the team is now at risk of that pick dropping into the sixth or seventh round in 2026.
The Giants' Week 2 opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, looked like a solid team against the defending Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles to kick off the season. With that noted, Dallas is the clear favorite when facing New York, even though their defense has been weakened ever since the Micah Parsons trade. If Wilson has another bad outing then, the calls for Dart will only get louder, and the urge to bench Wilson will only get stronger.
With the $10.5 million guaranteed that Wilson received, it is highly unlikely that the Steelers lose that pick in general. However, having a potential fourth-round choice drop to the end of the seventh round is still a big loss, as whoever they pick there would likely be an undrafted free agent anyways.
Steelers Plans Are Not Ruined, Just Somewhat Hurt
The supposed plan was for the Steelers to use their arsenal of draft picks to trade up in the 2026 NFL Draft to select a quarterback. Even if Rodgers keeps playing well and sticks around, having the future face of the franchise on the team is still helpful, especially if he can learn from the four-time MVP. While they still have plenty of picks to play with, that potential drop-off does not help Pittsburgh at all.
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Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Omar Khan picks up the phone in the team's war room during the 2023 NFL Draft weekend.
Hopefully Fields continues to build on his promising outing, so the Steelers can turn a fourth-rounder into another third.
What do you think about the Steelers' state of their compensatory picks with the debacle that Wilson, Daboll, and the Giants are currently in? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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