Tenuous QB situation could doom Steelers before the season starts

Just like the 2024 offseason, the 2025 offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers is centered squarely on the quarterback position. After a complete rebuild of the depth chart last offseason, the Steelers offense didn’t see any real growth.

Now, as the Steelers embark on another quarterback carousel adventure, and this time it is going to be a very different journey.

All three of the Steelers quarterbacks from last season are set to hit free agency and realistically, only one is returning. However, neither Justin Fields or Russell Wilson inspired any real confidence they could get the Steelers offense over the hump.

This means even if the Steelers keep one, more help needs to be added. And this is not the offseason to need help at quarterback. There are no headliners in free agency with Sam Darnold as the top option. The same Darnold who completely collapsed at the end of the season and reverted back to form from prior to 2024.

Things aren’t any better when it comes to the 2025 NFL draft. The top two options, Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders wouldn’t be in the Top 6 of last year’s quarterback class and both will be long gone by the No. 21 pick.

This means if the Steelers draft a quarterback (and they should) it will be a developmental guy like Jalen Milroe or Will Howard who isn’t going to help the team much in 2025.

So what does this all mean? Mostly likely it means the Steelers will be forced to tread water in 2025, wear down the defense trying to keep them in games and frankly hope to get lucky.