Time to let Big Ben play — please help him by fixing that awful ground attack
Iwould think both sides are satisfied — and I’m not just talking about the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger. I’m talking about people on either end of a debate that raged for weeks. One that began the moment Big Ben sat next to a distraught Maurkice Pouncey in the wake of perhaps the most embarrassing defeat in franchise history, one in which Roethlisberger threw four interceptions.
Should Ben stay, or should Ben go?
He’s staying, in case you haven’t heard, but is only signed for one year. That should appease the “stay” and “go” crowds, to some degree, and should also give the
Steelers ample time to formulate a succession plan at the most important position on the field.
They were going to pay for the 39-year-old Roethlisberger in the form of a $22 million cap hit no matter what happened. So why not have him play? He had a pretty good season, coming off major elbow surgery, and the alternative would have been Mason Rudolph.
Roethlisberger took a $5 million pay cut, and it doesn’t really matter whether that was an act of philanthropy or his response to a take-it-or-leave-it offer. What matters is that between reducing his salary and kicking another $10 million down the road, the Steelers freed $15 million to help the team immediately.
That doesn’t mean Bud Dupree’s sticking around. It doesn’t mean any highpriced free agents are coming this way. It just means the Steelers have a little extra cash to help the cause.
And if you ask me, it’s a cause worth helping. Listening to the chatter out there, you’d think Roethlisberger was returning to an expansion team instead of one that still features one of the NFL’s better defenses.
True, the defense stunk against the Browns, but I’m thinking plenty of teams would like to start next season with Cam Heyward and
Stephon Tuitt up front, backed by the likes of T.J. Watt, Devin Bush, Joe Haden and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Roethlisberger needs more help on his side of the ball. The Steelers need a center. Maybe an affordable free agent? Maybe a draft pick? Either way, it’s hardly an unsolvable problem.
Kevin Dotson is a keeper at left guard. David DeCastro needs to prove he has some quality football left in him, but it’s not like he’s ancient. He just turned 31. Let DeCastro rediscover the mauler inside, as opposed to asking him to pass block 45 times a game, and you might get a different player.
On the flanks, the Steelers could choose from among Zach Banner, Chuks Okorafor and perhaps Matt Feiler, if they re-sign him and return him to right tackle. They could choose a tackle in the first or second round, as well, and will need to find a blocking tight end via the cheap free agent route.
They absolutely must alter their approach and get back to some semblance of a ground game. They know that. It’s why they have a new coordinator and two new line coaches.
Finally, they need a running back. I’d leap at the chance to take three-down, do-it-all monster Najee Harris if he’s available at No. 24, but backs can and frequently are found lower.
Roethlisberger still has plenty of weapons in the pass game, starting with Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool. Seems likely JuJu’s gone, either to another team or to a place where he can fight lions and pro boxers.
We’ll see how Roethlisberger meshes with new coordinator Matt Canada. That is a question of intrigue. We’ll also see whether the Steelers can implement a quicker-hitting run game (as opposed to one where each run takes three hours to unfold), way more play-action passes (Roethlisberger attempted the fewest of any full-time starter in the league) and enough power to generate a yard when they need one.
Of course, none of this will matter if Roethlisberger can’t get the ball down the field, but I tend to think fears in that direction are a bit overblown.
For example, Roethlisberger’s combined completions of 20-plus yards (43) and 40-plus yards (4) added up to 47, one fewer than Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield and six more than Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson — and that doesn’t include all the interference penalties Claypool drew.
Most observers, I’m guessing, would have Roethlisberger the third- or even fourth-ranked quarterback in the division going into next season, depending on Joe Burrow’s health.
I’d put him a bit higher — especially if he gets something Jackson and Mayfield already have — a running game.