So, the Pittsburgh Steelers are doing the most Pittsburgh Steelers thing imaginable: clinging to vain hopes of contention with an aging quarterback and very little upside beyond Mike Tomlin's standard 9-10 win guarantee. Pittsburgh won't be bad this season, but will they be truly good? The vibes ahead of training camp suggest no.
Signing Aaron Rodgers was the inevitable outcome. We all saw it coming from, like, several miles away. But was it the right outcome? The best outcome? Certainly not. Rodgers took a lot of sacks last season because he can't maneuver in the pocket like he used to. He's a quick processor and still has a decent arm, but what made Rodgers so unstoppable in his prime was his ability to beat pressure and deliver bombs, neither of which is really in his repertoire now.
Moreover, there are sizable concerns about Rodgers' fit with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Pittsburgh's public relations machine has aggressively spun the pro-Smith narrative — that he's adaptable, with successful stints alongside a variety of signal-callers — but we've all watched the games, right? The Steelers will run the football, like the Falcons did before them. At least, that is what Smith wants to do.
If fans were hoping to get answers about how Rodgers looks in minicamp, or how he's gelling with his new playcaller, they will be sorely disappointed. The early reports on Rodgers ahead of training camp are frustratingly vapid.
Steelers don't really know what to think about Aaron Rodgers after minicamp
"Anyone who has an opinion on how Aaron Rodgers looked in the Steelers’ offense this offseason (good or bad) either has an agenda or is completely making things up," writes Mike DeFabo of The Athletic. "The four-time NFL MVP missed the first two weeks of OTAs and then signed his one-year contract just ahead of minicamp. During the three practices Rodgers attended, he was a very limited participant. He threw to receivers only during the routes-on-air segments, flashing his trademark quick release. The 41-year-old QB was also relatively mobile during individual drills, at least for an athlete of his age. However, that’s just about all Rodgers did."
This is not enough for sweeping takeaways or grand proclamations, but it's a sobering reminder of how far behind the eight ball Pittsburgh is right now. Most quarterbacks either have years of experience in their system or showed up for OTAs. Rodgers signed at the last possible second and was a limited participant at minicamp.
He didn't face any defense. He didn't get to dive fully into his new playbook. The Steelers are playing catch-up while 31 other NFL teams steamroll forward with settled QB rooms, more or less. Rodgers is a smart dude (at least in football terms), so he'll pick things up quickly and get on the same page as his receivers. But for all the reporting on his first week of practice in Pittsburgh to amount to shoulder shrugs is, well, not ideal.
There's no way this ends well. The Steelers aren't going to make a deep playoff run. Rodgers isn't going to stumble across the fountain of youth. This is going to be a frustratingly innert football team that performs aboves its means but below fan expectations, delivering a product very few sincerely enjoy on a weekly basis. Rodgers is probably the 20th or so best quarterback in the NFL, if we want to be generous. Pittsburgh's record and ultimate season arc will reflect that fact.