The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to get harsh feedback about the state of their quarterback situation by multiple figures within the NFL community. Following the 2025 NFL Draft, Pittsburgh's quarterback group consists of Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson, and rookie Will Howard. That was recently named the worst group in the entire NFL by a writer with CBS Sports. The criticism for the team continues; however, as radio hosts of a Steelers rival talked bad about the black and gold on a radio station.
The biggest and most constant talk during the weekend of the draft was the status of quarterback Shedeur Sanders. It seemed most likely that Sanders would find himself being drafted by a team in the AFC North division, whether that was Pittsburgh or the Cleveland Browns was up for debate.
Both division rivals are in horrific quarterback situations, and both came away from the draft having selected at least one. For the Browns, drafting Dillon Gabriel in the third round was clearly more of a priority than landing Sanders.
Despite the hilarious state of the Browns' quarterback room, which now includes Sanders, Gabriel, Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Deshaun Watson, certain Cleveland radio hosts took it upon themselves to mock the Steelers.
On Friday, Nick Wilson and Jonathan Peterlin, who host Afternoon Drive on The Fan in Cleveland, debated about who could get more starts under center in 2025 between Sanders and Howard. They then speculated on the possibility of Aaron Rodgers not being the Black and Gold's quarterback this season.
"The funny thing is that Steelers fans would clamor for [Will Howard] to be out there, but he is the Spider-Man meme," Peterlin started. "He is Mason Rudolph."
Following Peterlin's opening remarks, the two came to an agreement that the Steelers seem to be interested in quarterbacks with big builds. However, Wilson decided to take it a step further.
"It's just so wild. To have such a type there, and it's bad quarterbacks," Wilson said. "Mason Rudolph is a bit of a mouth breather. Will actually seems pretty smart. So maybe they've differentiated, where now it's not just big, dumb quarterbacks. Now it's just big quarterbacks."
Rudolph is listed at 6'5" and 235 pounds, while Howard is listed at 6'4" and 236 pounds. Meanwhile, each of Sanders, Gabriel, and Pickett, all who the Browns acquired this offseason, are listed at much smaller sizes.
While the Steelers don't have a whole lot to be excited about at the quarterback position, it's quite ironic getting smack talk from members of Cleveland who have never had a gripping of the position themselves. The Browns once had a franchise quarterback in Baker Mayfield, but decided to move on from him and make a huge deal in the addition of Watson. They are now in a position where they've got five quarterbacks heading into organized team activities and training camp.
Steelers And Browns Both Seem Beyond Lost In Searches For A Franchise Quarterback
Neither AFC North squads believe to have a franchise quarterback near in sight. It's a common understanding that the Steelers are willing to suffer through another season with a veteran at the helm for 2025, assuming Rodgers will be on his way to Pittsburgh eventually. The Steelers seem set on riding with Rodgers or Rudolph this season and look for their franchise quarterback in the draft of 2026.
For the Browns, they have three young options in Sanders, Gabriel, and Pickett, but fans in Cleveland aren't sold on any of them for the future. Like the Steelers, the Browns will also probably attempt to find their franchise guy in next year's draft, which makes it even more puzzling that they selected two quarterbacks this year.
