3 QBs Steelers can add after trading Kenny Pickett away to Eagles
The Pittsburgh Steelers uncorked arguably the most stunning trade of the offseason on Friday, shipping former first-round pick and last year's starting quarterback, Kenny Pickett, to the Philadelphia Eagles. All Pittsburgh got in return was a pick-swap (moving into the third round in 2024 for their fourth-rounder) and a pair of 2025 seventh-rounders.
More stunning about the trade, however, is the fact that the Steelers quarterback room is now just Russell Wilson, who the team signed for the veteran minimum on a one-year contract. Pickett is now in Philadelphia while Mason Rudolph is now in Tennessee and Mitchell Trubisky was released.
Even if Mike Tomlin and Co. fully believe that Russell Wilson is the starter they should feel confident in for the 2024 season, they clearly have a move to make at quarterback moving forward. How they accomplish that, however, is a mystery. It's also a mystery that we might be able to solve, though, as these three quarterbacks could replace Kenny Pickett in the Steelers QB room and potentially even set them up better for the future.
3. Steelers can still reunite Ryan Tannehill and Arthur Smith
Prior to the Russell Wilson signing, one of the most obvious connections to make with the Steelers in free agency this offseason was between new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and his former quarterback with the Titans, Ryan Tannehill.
If Pittsburgh was going to bring in competition for Pickett -- or at least to have a backup if Pickett had continued to struggle -- it always made sense for Tannehill to be that option. Yes, his play has declined over the past two seasons, though that incidentally coincided with being parted from Smith's offense, but he's a solid veteran who provides a baseline level of competence, especially in this system.
While Wilson is clearly exponentially more experienced than Pickett, that doesn't mean that Tannehill still couldn't fill a similar role for the Steelers. Wilson's play in Denver does not indicate that he's going to be a surefire option at the position for Pittsburgh, even if he did need a change of scenery. So having that high floor that Tannehill conceivably could provide might be valuable.
Furthermore, with the quarterback market already drying up in free agency, Tannehill should come quite cheap on any one-year type of deal and, moreover, he should be willing to come in and compete as a backup as his options appear to be a bit limited.