The Pittsburgh Steelers just have not gotten the quarterback position right since Ben Roethlisberger retired. Multiple winding roads have led them to the same destination: back to the starting point.
Kenny Pickett, a somewhat promising play caller with Steel City origins, fizzled out within a few years. Then came lackluster quick-fixes in the form of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields as neither panned out for the Steelers.
This leaves the Steelers with a quarterback room consisting of Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson. For Steelers fans, there is not much to celebrate on that front at all.
Some hope they find a spark from an underwhelming quarterback class in this week's NFL Draft. But Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox has proposed another alternative: trade for Will Levis.
"Levis' skill set could mesh with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who found success with dual-threat quarterback Justin Fields early last season," Knox wrote. "Levis isn't nearly as dynamic of a runner as Fields is, but he can scramble well enough to keep defenses honest. His arm strength would also allow Pittsburgh to stretch the field with receivers George Pickens and DK Metcalf."
It's an optimistic view and in his potential bright moments in Pittsburgh, that is what a good Levis regime would look like. But the struggles he has shown already in his career makes one wonder if such a payoff is possible.
Regardless, any move the Steelers make at this point or any quarterback they ultimately snag on draft day leaves them in the same rut of controversy. None of these options at present provide any clarity for a future to build around.
The Steelers have gotten a number of roster pieces right. They have the star receiving duo, they boast a defensive monster in T.J. Watt. Pittsburgh even has the ancillary pieces that keep them competitive in the AFC every single year.
But no quarterback move on the board through the rest of the offseason will change where they stand heading into 2025. Everything is a lateral shift that marks no progress.
They could certainly try Levis or a number of other quarterbacks hoping to find their way. However, will that risk provide any reward and is the potential loss of draft capital worth such a gamble?
It's hard to fall on that side with this matter. Continuing to plug the hole with temporary solutions will not translate to long term success.
That be a cloudy lens through which one views the coming season, but the frustrations in the short term will drag on until a plan for the long term is established.
