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“When are they going to start thinking about replacing Ben?” many fans have been asking since Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was around 30 years old.
Tried to tell these fans Pittsburgh will really start to think about Roethlisberger’s apparent heir the moment he finally hangs up his crampons, but they just don’t want to believe me.
“They need to groom someone!” When has the grooming ever worked? I know what you’re going to retort with: “Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes say,” What’s up? “”
My answer is, please. These guys would have been great if they showed up to work on Day 1 and been named starting quarterbacks for their respective teams.
Unfortunately, despite the historical evidence that preparing someone for the quarterback position just doesn’t work – as well as the lack of evidence that the Steelers will employ anyone who even approaches Roethlisberger’s skills for the 20 years after his retirement. – fans longed for the safety of an apparent true heir.
Guess what? They appeased these fans. First off, it was Landry Jones in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. A few years later, when Jones was decided to be the worst substitute quarterback in league history, Pittsburgh took over. selected Josh Dobbs in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. A year later, the Steelers went “all in” and selected Mason “First-round Grade” Rudolph in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Sadly, none of these guys have been able to wow fans and give them an absolute guarantee that the Steelers quarterback will be in good hands after Roethlisberger’s career ends.
But don’t despair, as it was announced Thursday that Dwayne Haskins, the former Washington soccer team first-round pick, has signed a reserve / future contract.
Or should I say, “Despair, do a lot of despair”? Because his name is Dwayne Haskins, a former first-round pick from Ohio state, and not Hwayne Daskins, a former undrafted free agent from Toledo, people are going crazy … and not in a good way. . No, they’re going crazy in a sort of “MLF I can’t believe Haskins is going to be the Steelers’ starting quarterback for the next 16 years.”
Relax and take a refreshing pill. I realize Haskins hasn’t exactly been the model for consistency on the football field. I also realize that he hasn’t been a model off the pitch either, as evidenced by his in-game selfies and trips to the strip club. Fortunately for the Steelers and their fans, reserve / future contracts are not foolproof.
Haskins signing is just the Steelers’ latest attempt to improve the backup quarterback position and / or find Roethlisberger’s replacement on the low-low. If it works, so much the better! If that doesn’t work, well.
I know what you’re going to say next, “What about Haskins’ influence on a locker room culture that’s already so toxic thanks to the JuJu Smith-Schuster logo dance and Chase’s trash-talking?” Claypool on TikTok?
Do you really think Dwayne Haskins will walk into a locker room full of guys named Cam Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, David DeCastro, Joe Haden and Maurkice Pouncey (maybe – it’s still 50/50) and immediately become Mr. Culture?
Please.
Do you know what is going on here? Your need for the Steelers to find the apparent heir to the quarterback has such a hold over you that you read too much into things.
If I can sum it up, the Steelers really will not try to find Roethlisberger’s replacement until he retires. In the meantime, they will continue to recruit guys in the third or fourth round and sign former first players to reserve / future contracts in the hope of beating the odds by developing a project.
But if the deal with Dwayne Haskins is still a little too much to handle, just call him Hwayne Daskins.
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