The Pittsburgh Steelers could find themselves caught in the middle in the quarterback market this offseason.
Big-named signal callers such as Kirk Cousins and Russell Wilson will be an upgrade over Kenny Pickett. However, the Steelers are searching for competition for Pickett, not a veteran who will automatically send him to the bench.
Other free agent options, though, such as Tyrod Taylor and Marcus Mariota may not be much competition at all.
One free agent quarterback who could both compete with Pickett but not demand the starting job is veteran Ryan Tannehill.
Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton argued that the Steelers should re-sign Mason Rudolph and consider adding Tannehill as well.
Pittsburgh should cut Mitch Trubisky, who struggled in spot starts this past season, re-sign Rudolph and consider signing Ryan Tannehill to push Pickett for the job,” wrote Moton.
In addition to Tannehill, Moton also argued the Steelers could consider signing Jacoby Brissett or Drew Lock.
Tannehill signed a four-year, $118 million contract with the Tennessee Titans ahead of the 2020 season.
How Ryan Tannehill Could Fit With the Steelers
Of the three free agent options Moton mentioned, Tannehill seems to make the most sense.
Tannehill turns 36 in July. That makes him significantly older than Brissett and Lock, but he’s more accomplished in the league. Tannehill has started 151 NFL games, posting an 81-70 record. He’s averaged 7.3 yards per attempt with a 64.3% completion percentage, 216 touchdowns and 115 interceptions.
He’s also won two playoff games in his career.
Tannehill could still be a starter in the NFL. That makes him competition for Pickett. If he outplayed Pickett in the preseason, Tannehill could be a decent starting option behind center in the short term.
But at his age and given that he lost his starting job this past season, Tannehill would probably be a natural fit as Pickett’s backup too.
Tannehill’s best statistical season came in 2019 when he began the year as a backup quarterback for the Titans. He replaced Mariota for the final 10 games, leading the Titans to a 7-3 record. He threw 22 touchdowns with only 6 interceptions while averaging 9.6 yards per attempt.
In the playoffs, Tannehill led the Titans to the AFC championship game.
Could the Steelers Sign Tannehill & Mason Rudolph?
Moton listed several interesting free agent quarterback options for the Steelers. But his most intriguing suggestion was the idea that Pittsburgh could sign a quarterback such as Tannehill after bringing back Rudolph.
Rudolph is set to be a free agent, but head coach Mike Tomlin expressed that the organization would like for him to return in 2024.
The Steelers also still have Mitch Trubisky under contract. However, it would be very surprising if Pittsburgh doesn’t cut Trubisky.
Even without Trubisky, though, two veteran quarterbacks with Pickett could make for a crowded quarterback room.
Extra depth isn’t usually a bad thing. Pittsburgh’s depth behind center gave the team Rudolph as an option in late December.
But one could also argue Rudolph could have started instead of Trubisky sooner if the Steelers had just the former as the team’s backup instead of both signal callers.
It’s also worth wondering if Rudolph and Tannehill would be interested in joining the Steelers together knowing that one of them will probably be the team’s emergency No. 3 option. Both are likely to at least receive an opportunity to compete for a backup role in 2024.
