The Pittsburgh Steelers provided one of the shocks of the roster-cut phase of the offseason when they decided to release quarterback Landry Jones, who has been a Ben Roethlisberger’s backup since 2013. The move was a clear sign that the Steelers leaned towards the retention of the pair of Josh Dobbs and Mason Rudolph.

In an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, Roethlisberger opined that Jones’ release puts additional pressure on Dobbs, who is now Big Ben’s primary backup in Pittsburgh, per Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

“I told him, ‘You need to prove to everybody that you deserve to be here,’” Roethlisberger said. “I’m not talking about on the field. He’s proven that. … But what he needs to do is prove he’s as valuable as Landry was off the field – in terms of film study, when I have a question (and him) having a good answer for me.

“When I come off the field after the play, ‘Hey, what did you see here?’ and he can give me an answer. That’s where he really needs to step up. He’s all for it. He said, ‘Ben, I’ll give you everything I can,’ and I trust that he will.”

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That’s probably the most diplomatic way Roethlisberger can be when speaking about Josh Dobbs without showing how thoroughly he detests the Steelers’ move to jettison Jones, who certainly has earned the utmost respect of the Super Bowl-winning quarterback.

Roethlisberger, however, understands that cutting Jones had little to do with the latter’s on-field performance. Jones is bound for free agency next year, and by then, he’d probably demand more money to re-sign with the team, a problem the Steelers likely was not inclined to have.