A Continuous Journey: 2024 NFL Offseason Thread

Feels like the Steelers should try to find a quarterback first??

 

Someone blinked.

Sources: Cowboys' Lamb agrees to $136M deal

Cowboys gonna end up paying $70M/year for Dak at this rate.

 

That pass across the field they threw the flag on was very close to being a lateral. In fact, I'm not 100% sure it wasn't.

 

To me, their quarterback situation is the reason for urgency about the issue at receivers. They have an expensive, veteran-laden defense and both quarterbacks are signed only for the 2024 season, so they are in win-now mode.

 

Nothing about a QB platoon of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields (with Arthur Smith in charge of the offense no less) suggests trying to win now. But given the Steelers recent history, they will challenge the notion that a team can't live off of winning 13-10 games.

 

They seem to be under the impression that Wilson has enough left in the tank to win with a strong running game and defense. Smith ran some very effective run-oriented offenses with the Titans. Najee Harris is no Derrick Henry, but he has help from Jaylen Warren and the line should be improved. I'm not sure it will work, but that was the point of acquiring Wilson.

They were never counting on Fields to start this season unless Wilson gets hurt. They needed a cheap backup after dealing Pickett and maybe Tomlin thinks he can unlock more than Fields has shown. I doubt it. Fields is a dynamic runner and a very limited passer. I don't think he can do more.

 

They are in a win-mode now... so they went dumpster diving for two qbs?
They are paying a combined $2.8 million for the two qbs this year. Nothing about that sounds like "win now".

 

Show us you don't know the context of the situation without telling us you don't know the context of the situation.

Wilson came cheap because the Broncos are still paying him $39 million. The Broncos are paying him that much to play elsewhere because his ego and Sean Payton's ego couldn't co-exist. Wilson's play has certainly declined, but he is an upgrade over the guys they had at quarterback on the 2023 team that made the playoffs. He threw 26 touchdown passes and only eight interceptions in 2023. All the talk of Wilson having to compete for that job is nonsense. It was his the moment they signed him. That is why Pickett is gone.

Fields is cheap because he is still on his rookie deal, but he is there to be the backup anyway. I think Tomlin has this thought that he can fix Fields, but I doubt that will happen.

The Steelers made the playoffs with a three-headed shit show at quarterback last season. They did it with an offensive coordinator so bad they broke with decades of team tradition when they fired him during the season. They did it with an incompetent center who made up for his erratic shotgun snaps by also getting shoved into the backfield consistently. Signing Wilson was them thinking they could contend with an improved line and a competent offensive coordinator. Take advantage of his odd situation with the Broncos for one season, then figure out the rest later.

Don't get me wrong. I don't love the strategy. I would rather have seen them re-sign Rudolph and keep Pickett, keep building the offense until they find their long-term answer at quarterback. They chose to go with Wilson because they think they can win now with him. That is why going with Pickens and a collection of scrubs at receiver makes little sense.

 

Did exactly what everybody would have two and a half months ago, a day after Justin Jefferson signed his deal

 

I know exactly the Steelers situation. The Broncos paid $39 million to get out of the Wilson business because Wilson can no longer play competent QB. You have two terrible qbs, and a raggy OL. Good luck with that win-now strategy this year.

 

"Strong running game." What team has won with that in the last 20 years?

 

Shanahan on line 1.....

He's known as an outstanding play-caller (and no disagreement here) but the foundation of his system is a great running game. Out of that threat then comes the play-action big hits. With ATL they may have lost the SB because of the lack of running plays but the Niners have not lost much because they ran too little.