Michael Pittman Jr. is a solid addition to the Pittsburgh Steelers roster. He is immediately the best wideout on the team, but he doesn’t know who will throw him the football. However, he is not phased about it.
Pittman spoke to Chris Harlan of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review about the possibility of playing with Rodgers or anyone else. “Whenever you have a chance to play with a Hall of Fame quarterback, you always take that.” However, if he is not there, Pittman won’t alarm anyone. “We also have two really good quarterbacks here in Mason and Will, so whatever ends up turning out, I think we’ll have a good plan offensively and we’ll make the most of it.”
Pittman hasn’t had a top-tier QB during his career. Philip Rivers in his last breath, Carson Wentz past his prime, Matt Ryan during his last breath too, Sam Ehlinger and Nick Foles, Anthony Richardson, Gardner Minshew, Joe Flacco, and Daniel Jones are not ones to brag about. Still, Pittman has been productive, hence his confidence.
Mason Rudolph and Will Howard haven’t proven to be QB1 material
If Rodgers is not there, Pittman says the Steelers can trust either Mason Rudolph or Will Howard. Rudolph has been in the NFL since 2019, has started 19 games and has a 9-9-1 record. However, he is not a quarterback you can trust to take you to the promise land. Not at all, not even close.
As for Howard, while he won the College Football National Championship with Ohio State, he hasn’t taken a single snap in the NFL. Howard also spent the majority of his rookie season on IR, and is a sixth-round pick.
The Steelers have been underperforming at QB for a while
Ben Roethlisberger had a great 2018 year where he led the NFL in pass attempts, completions, and passing yards. He then had a decent 2020 year and after his retirement in 2021, the Steelers are not ones to have really good QB play.
In 2022 and 2023, they trusted Kenny Pickett, which didn’t work. In 2024, they tried to make it work with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Last season, it was Aaron Rodgers. While the team has managed to stay over the .500 mark, it’s not been thanks to the QB play.