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There have been many opinions expressed from the media since Kevin Colbert had non-committal comments in regards to Ben Roethlisberger returning for an 18th season last Wednesday. Former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum was the latest to give a take on what the Steelers should do with their soon-to-be 39-year-old franchise quarterback.
According to Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan, Tannebaum on ESPN said, "If the Steelers bring back Big Ben, they'll be stopping progress ... they have to trade up and draft a quarterback in the first round."
Tannebaum hasn't been the only one to state that the Steelers would be holding the team back with Roethlisberger returning for another year. Former Steelers cornerback and teammate of Roethlisberger, Ike Taylor, made similar remarks as Tannebaum earlier this month.
"You're setting them back a year or two or three [with a comeback]," Taylor said of the Steelers in an interview with TMZ. "The reason why I think you're setting them back is because you've seen the progression in Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow -- before he got hurt -- and Baker Mayfield. So, we're talking about three young quarterbacks in one division. Who you going to pick last?"
North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance is really the only quarterback worth trading up for in the draft. Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports has the Steelers trading up for Alabama quarterback Mac Wilson in his mock draft, but I'd be surprised if that were to happen. The top three quarterbacks in the draft -- Trevor Lawrence of Clemson, Justin Fields of Ohio State and Zach Wilson of BYU are all expected be picked in the top 10.
If it came down to Lance or Wilson, I'd rather see the Steelers trade up for Lance. I think he has more potential and upside in the NFL than Wilson. However, if Roethlisberger were to retire or be cut by the Steelers, I think the franchise has it's mind on riding it out with Rudolph for a year and seeing what he can do. If he's not the answer (he's most likely not), they'll get their quarterback for the future in the 2022 NFL Draft.