Any conversation about the ' offense begins with , who was the team's first-round pick back in 2004, has been the starter ever since, and says he want to play another 2-3 seasons. And while Big Ben has a 135-63 career regular-season record and has helped to three Super Bowls and two Lombardi Trophies, he's benefitted from some of the league's best playmakers on both sides of the ball. When Roethlisberger came into the league, he had Hines Ward and Jerome Bettis. The names have changed -- , Willie Parker, , and now and -- but the results have mostly
Braden Holtby Jersey remained unchanged. And we say mostly because the only two non-winning seasons in the Mike Tomlin era (back-to-back 8-8 campaigns in 2012 and 2013) were a direct result of fielding the league's worst defenses. The defense has steadily improved in the years since and the expectation, even without inside linebacker on the field in 2018, is that the Steelers can remain a top-10 unit (they ranked ninth in defensive efficiency a season ago, according to ). But for as good as the defense might be, in today's NFL, offenses win championships. And for the Steelers, that brings us back to Roethlisberger, Brown, Bell, the offensive line, and a handful of players no one, from the perspective of early May, is expecting to make much of an impact later this fall but whose ability to, in Tomlin's words, "be the next man up," could be the difference between making it back to the for the first time since the 2010 season and another in a recent string of playoff drubbings. But despite the postseason disappointments, the Steelers' front office and coaching staff have had succe s at putting together a roster that wins a lot of football games. Again, having a franchise quarterback is a huge part of that but as we pointed out above, having a good defense and a couple big-play threats are damn near mandatory too. In fact, since 2004, Roethlisberger is second only to in wins (135 to 162), and ahead of and despite playing in fewer games (21 and 16, respectively). And before you remind
Dmitry Orlov Jersey us that #QBwins is a terrible way to measure an individual quarterback's abilities, it does shed some light on how having a balanced team -- a franchise quarterback, offensive playmakers and a good defense, for example -- translates into sustained succe s. But the Steelers are also a team in transition; yes, Big Ben reportedly said but two things: 1) Last offseason, he ; and 2) Here's what Roethlisberger said in January during a radio appearance about the "three more years" remark to teammates. I'm just playing it one year at a time. I'm excited to come back next year. "I know Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Ed Bouchette said that he heard that some guys said something about me playing for another three years. I'm not going to look past one year. I'm going to look forward to next year and give it everything I have." So here's what we know: Roethlisberger's playing in 2018. Beyond that there are no guarantees. And that reality explains why the Steelers traded up in Round 3 to take Oklahoma St. quarterback , whom the team . "He was with the group of the top
Riley Sutter Women Jersey quarterbacks," general manager Kevin Colbert said during draft weekend, via PennLive.com. "That was a really good position. That's very unique to the draft. It usually doesn't come through with a nice group like that. ... We haven't had that much depth at the top of the draft at quarterback in a long time," Colbert said. "Mason was certainly a part of that group in our opinion." Now the question becomes when will Rudolph see the field. His arrival almost certainly means that , the team's 2017 fourth-rounder who didn't see the field as a rookie, will be the odd man out. And if Rudolph impre ses in training camp and the preseason, he could conceivably replace as Roethlisberger's primary backup. Beyond injuries paving the way to playing time in 2018, Rudolph's ETA under center could happen anytime between 2018-2020. The biggest problem, if you want to call it that: What if Big Ben continues to play at a high level and like Tom Brady, keeps coming back? That could mean that Rudolph, who will sign a four-year contract in the coming weeks, could be in the final year of his deal before the Steelers have any idea if he can play. But if the winning continues between now and then these are good problems to have. What will a transfer of power look like when that day arrives? Let's take a look at the Steelers' 2018 offensive depth chart and what it could like like a year from now. 2018 Depth chart QB: Ben Roethlisberger/Landry Jones/Mason Rudolph We mentioned above that Rudolph could have a mind-blowing August and leap frog Jones on the depth chart but it's more likely that he'll be on the "learn by holding a clipboard" game plan for 2018. That said, Jones enters the final year of a two-year deal, and the Steelers could realistically be looking to replace a couple quarterbacks in a year's time if Jones isn't re-signed and should Big Ben retire. RB: Le'Veon Bell/James Conner/Stevan Ridley/Fitzgerald Tou saint One of the league's best running backs, Bell's versatility -- he had 1,291 rushing yards last season to go along with 85 receptions -- means he wants to be paid for his contributions beyond the running game. That's perfectly reasonable but a year after Bell reportedly turned down a five-year, $60 million deal, the Steelers have again used the franchise tag on him. And if the two sides can't agree on a long-term contract by July 15 -
Brendan Leipsic Jersey - NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala said in April that Bell wants $17 million a year (that's Antonio Brown money) -- Bell will play the 2018 season on a one-year deal that will pay him $14.5 million. For some perspective, that would be a 75 percent increase over the $8.25 million average salary , the closest back, earns. There's more: Bell has again threatened to hold out. A year ago, he skipped training camp and was rusty
Nicklas Backstrom Women Jersey for the first few weeks of the season. And while the Steelers don't need Bell in peak form in September to help make their Super Bowl run, at $14.5 million, he should be. A year ago Pittsburgh drafted running back in the third round and he flashed in limited duty. His season ended after a Week 15 knee injury but on 32 carries he rushed for 144 yards (4.5 per carry). Expect him to get a heavier workload in 2018. The team also re-signed Ridley, a former Patriot who appeared in two games last season after Conner was hurt. If the Steelers do end up franchising Bell it's reasonable to think that he won't be back in 2019. He'll be 27, coming off 406 touches in 2017 and however much work he gets in '18, and his asking price will have only gone up. And while Bell is a special talent, you can find comparable talent for a lot le s money; remember, Bell was originally a second-round pick, and just last year both and were third-rounders. There was plenty of pre-draft speculation that the Stee
%20TPCC2.jpg)
