The NFL Draft is officially over and attention will shift to OTAs and off-season camps. The 90-man roster is set and the team will be looking at their depth chart for every position entering training camp. This series will examine who has the inside chances to be higher on the depth chart come August. For this edition, we will look at quarterbacks.
Pittsburgh Steelers Depth Chart Projections: Quarterback
1.Ben Roethlisberger
This is one of the most obvious depth chart notes of the entire team. Roethlisberger is the obvious starter, and he has a very comfortable cushion on his competition. The question all off-season will be who his backup is, and his future replacement. Roethlisberger is now 35 years old, and in ten of his 13 seasons, he has missed at least one start. He has already hinted at retirement and the Steelers drafted a quarterback this year to bring in some new blood and competition.
2. Landry Jones
As of now and for the near future, Jones will be the backup quarterback. If Roethlisberger were to get hurt it would be a surprise to see them turn to any quarterback other than Jones at any point this season. Jones know the system, and in terms of backups, he has not been a complete let down in his career. However, his long-term seat with the Steelers is now getting hot. Jones is only signed on through the 2018 season and signed a contract that makes him pretty expendable after this year. The team drafted Joshua Dobbs and they likely did not do that for him to spend four years as a third string player. At the latest, it appears 2018 may be the last season for Jones as a backup.
3. Joshua Dobbs
Dobbs was drafted this season in the fourth round. He still has a lot to learn to be a reliable NFL quarterback, but the Steelers clearly see his talent and upside. Dobbs is a smart player and should be able to contribute early on when it comes to game acumen and breaking down tape. He will likely be third on the depth chart all season, but it will be interesting to see if he can catch Jones at some point, as the hope is Dobbs can be the future backup. It may not come this season, but it would be a surprise to see Dobbs as the number three guy this time next year.
4. Nick Schuessler
Did the Steelers add a future Matt Cassel? Most likely not, but he did throw twice as many college passes as Cassel. While Cassel spent his career backing up Matt Leinart, Schuessler was backing up DeShaun Watson this whole time. Cassel turned out to be a better pro than his college teammate, and the Steelers are hoping they found the same thing here. As for now, the team is hoping that he can at least make it to the practice squad. If Schuessler does make it a full year, he could enter 2018 competing for a roster spot as the third quarterback. With Jones likely on his way out after the 2018 season, Schuessler can easily win that job in 2019 if he is able to stick around the roster long enough.
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