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The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off of their second consecutive season of missing the postseason. The last time that the Steelers failed to make the playoffs three straight years came in 1998-2000.
This past season, Pittsburgh got off to a shaky start, losing their first three games of the season. In their Week 2 bout versus the Seattle Seahawks, starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sustained a season-ending elbow injury that required him to undergo surgery.
As a result, the Steelers were left with far-from-appealing options at the quarterback position. While the offense sputtered during Roethlisberger's absence, Pittsburgh's defense was one of the best in the NFL.
Altogether, Pittsburgh's defense would rank No. 1 in the NFL in sacks (54) and takeaways (38). Despite the defense's efforts, the Steelers were not able to overcome the offense's dismal performance.
Nonetheless, this offseason, Pittsburgh is suddenly confident that they'll return to the postseason in 2020. The main reason for the optimism for the Steelers is the welcomed return of Roethlisberger.
But besides Roethlisberger's long-awaited return, Pittsburgh added veteran Eric Ebron and rookie Chase Claypool to the offense. Not to mention, they'll be getting healthier versions of JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner next season.
With all that being said, what is the Steelers' biggest need heading into the 2020 NFL season?
Steelers' biggest need: Backup quarterback
As previously mentioned, the Steelers had their 2019 campaign derailed once Roethlisberger went down with an injury. Upon his arrival to Injured Reserve, Pittsburgh was forced to start backups Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges.
Rudolph, Pittsburgh's third-round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft, would be active for 10 games, making eight starts. At the end of the season, Rudolph finished with a measly 1,765 yards, 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
To try to spark the offense, Hodges — an undrafted rookie in 2019 — would start in six games for the Steelers. The quarterback that boasts the nickname “Duck” would fail to stay afloat, throwing for 1,063 yards, five touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Ultimately, both Rudolph and Hodges combined for only 2,828 yards, 18 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Due to the quarterback play — or lack thereof — that Pittsburgh fielded in 2019, they were unable to win as many games as they should have.
Despite the abysmal play from Rudolph and Hodges, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin expressed his confidence in the team's current backup situation. However, it's hard to believe that Pittsburgh truly feels comfortable with their current group if Roethlisberger gets injured again.
In his first 16 seasons in the NFL, Roethlisberger has played in all 16 games just four times. With that in mind, the Steelers should be preparing as if the veteran signal-caller is going to miss games in 2020.
This offseason, Pittsburgh has had multiple chances to sign one of the marquee names in free agency. It's not too late for the Steelers to consider adding Cam Newton, Colin Kaepernick or another veteran quarterback this offseason.
