It’s the beginning of a new era in Pittsburgh as Ben Roethlisberger won’t be behind center for the Steelers in the 2022 NFL season. Big Ben not only leaves behind alegacy full of unforgettable memories but also a huge vacancy at a crucial position.
The Steelers’ quarterback situation will probably be one of the biggest topics in the offseason, as they only have two players who can play QB in their roster. But it’s unclear whether Mason Rudolph or Dwayne Haskins will be given the opportunity.
Pittsburgh have time to make a decision and willexplore all options before they name Big Ben‘s successor. However, Matt Corral revealed he would be glad to be selected by the Steelers in the upcoming draft.
Matt Corral says he would like to be the next Steelers QB after Big Ben
“Absolutely. Who wouldn’t want to step in after a Hall a Fame quarterback,” Corral said about being Roethlisberger’s successor in Pittsburgh, as quoted by CBS Sports. “It’s definitely a blessing just to be considered that a team wants me after having a quarterback like Ben Roethlisberger.”
Corral, who is still recovering from an ankle injury sustained during the Sugar Bowl earlier this year, has produced fantastic numbers in college as he threwfor 8,287 yards, 57 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions during his time with Ole Miss. In 2021, he recorded a career-high 3,349 yards, while he threw20 TDs and just five INTs. The Steelers have the 20th pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Kevin Colbert says Pittsburgh will explore all options, the goal isto win the Super Bowl
Before he steps down as the team’s general manager after the draft, Kevin Colbert will spend his time trying to identify the right man for the quarterback job in Pittsburgh. Andthat means they’ll consider all options.
“We’ll be open to every option possible,” Colbert said, per Pro Football Talk. “We already have Mason Rudolph, Dwayne Haskins on the roster. Will we look at trades? Absolutely. Will we look at free agency? Sure. We’ll look at the draft. And we’ll try to pick out the best way to maybe move on, because we know we are moving on for the first time in 18 years.
“What we won’t do is we won’t make false evaluations based on that and try to make somebody into a franchise quarterback that we don’t envision as one. I don’t think going into that [2004] draft, the one year we had a losing season, we were very fortunate there were three Hall of Fame quarterbacks available and we were able to get one of them. Is that going to be the case this year? I don’t know.
“Again, we’ll look at every avenue. But we’re not going to deem a guy a franchise quarterback. They have to do that after they join your team. And hopefully, we make the right decisions for a player who can help us win a Super Bowl down the road.
“We’re never going to say, we don’t want to compete. The objective will always be to compete for a Super Bowl. We’ll never talk about rebuilding, retooling — anything along those lines. We want to win a Super Bowl and we’ll just try to make the best decisions we can.”
Colbert made a couple of things clear. First, the Steelers will be extremely careful before they make a decision. Second, the one who wins the job will have the weight of the world on his shoulders, as the team will want nothing less than a Super Bowl at some point. Besides, the chosen QB – whether that’s Rudolph, Corral, or another – will know the shoes he has to fill.
