Ben Roethlisberger has become one of the most respected voices when it comes to evaluating the Pittsburgh Steelers since retiring from the NFL. The two-time Super Bowl champion regularly shares his thoughts on the franchise, and this time he questioned one of Mike McCarthy’s plans for the preseason.
The discussion centers on Aaron Rodgers, who is expected to receive a significant amount of playing time during the preseason as the Steelers enter a new era without Mike Tomlin.
While the Steelers believe those reps could help build rhythm before Week 1, Roethlisberger isn’t convinced it’s the right approach for a 42-year-old quarterback entering the final season of his career.
Ben Roethlisberger questions Aaron Rodgers’ preseason workload
Speaking about the situation, Ben Roethlisberger explained on his podcast Footbahlin why he believes Aaron Rodgers has nothing left to prove in preseason games.
“Last year, was it smart? Sure, it was. It was a new offense and a new team. Now, this is his offense. He knows this. He doesn’t need to be out there in the preseason. I guess if you want some continuity. I think they said something between 30 and 60 plays for the whole preseason. I don’t know if that’s how many games or whatever, but you’re talking maybe 20 plays a game. That’s a lot.”
For Roethlisberger, the risk of exposing Rodgers to unnecessary hits outweighs any potential benefit. Injuries are a crucial part of the game and, from a team’s overall perspective, there’s another important situation.
Who will be the Steelers’ starting quarterback?
There is no debate about Pittsburgh’s starter. Aaron Rodgers will open the season as the Steelers’ No. 1 quarterback, making the preseason more valuable for the younger players behind him.
Roethlisberger said that those snaps should be used instead to evaluate Will Howard, who enters his second NFL season, and rookie Drew Allar, who has already generated excitement during training camp.
“Don’t take reps away from those other guys for a Hall of Fame guy that already knows this offense. That’s my argument. Like, man, let’s get reps for the other guys. Not only is it a lot for your quarterback, the Hall of Famer you built this team around, but what it also does, more importantly, is it takes all those reps away from other guys. Have Aaron go one series. Let him go one series, whatever that entails, and pull him out. Then I’d go right to whoever is next.”
With only three preseason games on the schedule, opportunities to evaluate the future of the quarterback position are limited. That is why Roethlisberger believes Pittsburgh should prioritize the development of their young passers rather than giving extensive preseason work to a veteran who already knows the offense.
