Fansided

Pittsburgh Steelers Sign Bruce Gradkowski

By Josh Hill

December 30, 2012; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Bruce Gradkowski (7) warms up before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
December 30, 2012; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Bruce Gradkowski (7) warms up before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports /
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December 30, 2012; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Bruce Gradkowski (7) warms up before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports
December 30, 2012; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Bruce Gradkowski (7) warms up before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports /

Another mediocre quarterback is off the market. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Pittsburgh Steelers have agreed to a three-year deal with former Cincinnati Bengals backup Bruce Gradkowski.

This says more about the atrociously terrible quarterback market than it does about Gradkowski or the Steelers. However, while we’re on the topic, Gradkowski will be plugged in as Ben Roethlisberger’s backup in Pittsburgh as we saw last year what a mess things are behind him and the bind the Steelers are immediately in if he goes down with an injury.

When Roethlisberer went down last season, Byron Leftwich and Charlie Batch were left to pick up the pieces and while Batch’s win over the Ravens was an emotional trip back to the 90s for Lions fans, the fact of the matter remained that the Steelers had absolutely no quarterback depth.

There’s also the fact that Gradkowski is coming from the Bengals and has a working of the offense, so at the very least he’s a spy for the Steelers as well as a backup quarterback.

But the market for quarterbacks has been weak this year and that’s the reason why guys like Gradkowski are getting contracts. He’s not a bad quarterback, but in any other year, Bruce Gradkowski does not get a contract from the Steelers on the second day of free agency.