5 teams that are happy the Cowboys didn’t sign Dak Prescott

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger has never been a great picture of durability. He’s 38 years old now, and coming of a season where he played less than two games due to an elbow injury that required surgery. With no traditional offseason work, fewer preseason games and a likely truncated training camp in some fashion, it will be at best unclear whether Big Ben’s arm strength is back before Week 1.

Apart from the idea he is older and will perhaps just show he’s cooked this year, Roethlisberger invited retirement speculation with his own comments for years. That has subsided over the last couple years, but he had a great season in 2018 and was rehabbing into this offseason.

Roethlisberger has two years left on his contract. If he doesn’t retire after this year, the Steelers could cut him and absorb $22.25 million in dead money (via Over The Cap) with $19 million in cap space cleared. Cutting him in 2021 isn’t very likely, but it is possible and palatable in a certain light.

If things break a certain way, including not seriously considering taking a quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Steelers could absolutely make a play for Prescott and have a seamless transition from Roethlisberger.

If the Cowboys do the tag dance with Prescott again next year, the path to Pittsburgh to be Roethlisberger’s heir apparent would surely be unabated in 2022 free agency.