The Pittsburgh Steelers' season hit a road bump with their 13-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 11. Kenny Pickett put together another stinker — 15-of-28 passes completed for 106 yards — and the Steelers, at long last, fired Matt Canada. There were celebrations in the streets.
But, at 6-4, the Steelers still have a lot to figure out in order to hang on to their wild card spot. The offense has been terrible all season and there's no guarantee interim O.C. Eddie Faulkner, who previously operated as the RB coach under Canada, will transform Pittsburgh into a passable unit.
It's now or never for Pickett to stake his claim on the Steelers' QB spot long-term. He was able to hide behind the shield of Canada's incompetence for two seasons, and Pittsburgh still has a winning record (13-9) with Pickett under center. That said, it's fair to say Pickett's success in the win column has been a product of his surroundings, not his production. If the Steelers' offense continues to flatline with a new voice in charge, it's going to be difficult to justify keeping Pickett around.
If the Steelers do decide to move on from Pickett in the offseason, there are several appealing candidates to replace him. By that same token, there are a couple of names the Pittsburgh front office should avoid like the plague.
Steelers should target Shedeur Sanders in the NFL Draft
The Colorado Buffaloes' season went south — fast — after their early surge under new head coach Deion Sanders. One of the team's few consistent bright spots has been Shedeur Sanders, the starting QB and Coach Prime's third-favorite child.
Despite playing behind one of the worst offensive lines in college football, Sanders has completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 3,230 yards, 27 touchdowns, and only three interceptions in 11 games. He is eligible for the NFL Draft as a junior, with a résumé that also includes SWAC Offensive Player of the Year from his time at Jackson State before his move (alongside his father) to Colorado.
While it's easy to chalk up Sanders' draft hype to his father's clout and the brighter-than-usual spotlight on the Buffs, the numbers stand up to scrutiny. He's not a runner, but he's mobile in the pocket with a genuine talent for evading tackles and reading the field under pressure. It cannot be overstated how limited Sanders' supporting cast has been, with the exception of a strong rapport with WR Travis Hunter.
Sanders' ability to make "NFL throws" should put him on the Steelers' radar as a mid-to-late first-round or second-round candidate. The Steelers won't be in position to draft the likes of Caleb Williams or Drake Maye, but it's difficult to watch Sanders and not get the sense that he can make it at the next level. Obviously, he comes from a football family. There's a precedent in place.
Steelers could bring in a familiar former foe in Baker Mayfield
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still in the thick of the NFC South postseason hunt, if only because the NFC South is all-time terrible. That is clearly a roster in flux. Tom Brady's exit left the Bucs in a transitional state, which makes it difficult to truly "blame" anybody for the team's sub-.500 record.
If anything, the offense deserves credit for keeping a respectable pace despite the circumstances. Baker Mayfield signed a one-year, prove-it contract with the Bucs to compete with Kyle Trask in training camp. Mayfield didn't only win the job; he has been damn good at his job, completing 64.6 percent of his passes for 2,389 yards, 15 touchdowns, and six interceptions in 10 starts.
The Bucs average 227.8 passing yards per game, which is 13th in the NFL. That's not great, but it sure ain't terrible. Mayfield has been perfectly competent at the reins, cutting down on his trademark mistakes and infusing the Bucs' offense with an appropriate balance of gunslinging bravery and veteran poise.
Tampa Bay could justify bringing Mayfield back, but he's going to get more expensive. The Steelers are in a better position to field a contender around Mayfield. Pittsburgh's run game has been revelatory of late as Jaylen Warren takes off and the defense is borderline elite, with the additional bonus of Mike Tomlin — who appears incapable of a losing season — captaining the ship.
Mayfield has always had the arm talent to succeed, it was a matter of fine-tuning his decision-making both on and off the field. He appears to have it figured out. He's not the elite No. 1 pick QB folks imagined out of Oklahoma, but he's a reliable starter who would drastically improve the Steelers' current setup.
Steelers should gamble on Kirk Cousins despite injury concerns
Kirk Cousins' season ended after eight games when he ruptured his Achilles. Cousins has been remarkably resistant to injuries over the course of his career, so it was a difficult blow for the 35-year-old in the final year of his contract. Before the injury, the Minnesota Vikings appeared hesitant to engage full-throttle on extension talks. Perhaps the price has declined enough for the two sides to meet in the middle — there's no doubt Cousins wants to return — but Minnesota has been just fine with Josh Dobbs under center, and there could be a desire to get younger, rather than older next season.
If Cousins hits the open market in free agency, the Steelers should absolutely place a call. It would be beyond strange to see Cousins in Pittsburgh black and gold, but he's a damn solid quarterback. The Vikings got off to a difficult start this season, but that was partially due to a difficult schedule. Cousins ended the season 4-4 under center, completing 69.5 percent of his passes for 2,331 yards, 18 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He has been the head of the snake for a top-flight offense for years now. A true paragon of consistency. Perhaps the ceiling is limited, but the floor is extremely high.
At this point, the Steelers would love a high floor. Pickett simply doesn't move the ball through the air. He's a tepid passer who averages 6.1 yards per attempt compared to 7.5 for Cousins. The latter has seen his arm strength dwindle in the later stage of his career, but Cousins still threads the needle through tight windows and understands how to build a relationship with his top wideouts. One has to imagine the openly disgruntled George Pickens would welcome a QB of Cousins' stature.
It's fair to wonder how Cousins might look after an Achilles injury in his age-36 season — even if he doesn't use his legs much, you need lower-body strength to throw — but modern medicine has been kind to QBs who want to play deep into their 30s or even early 40s. Cousins still has gas left in the tank and he could easily emerge as the best QB available in the offseason.
Steelers shouldn't be tempted to trade for Desmond Ridder
The Atlanta Falcons' season has turned into a bitter disappointment. After nine games at QB, Desmond Ridder was benched for Taylor Heinicke, who lasted three starts before turning the reins back over to Ridder in Week 12. The plain and simple truth of the season is that the Falcons still need a QB.
Ridder, despite riding the bench for several weeks, ranks fourth in the NFL in turnovers (12). The 24-year-old has been completely reckless with ball security, either forcing passes into nonexistent windows or leaving the ball vulnerable to swiping hands. He has six fumbles, including a three-fumble fiasco in the Falcons' Week 7 win over Tampa Bay. To go along with six touchdowns, he has just as many interceptions.
The Falcons have all sorts of playmaking talent on the offensive end. Kyle Pitts is one of the best tight end athletes in the NFL and Jonnu Smith has come on strong. Drake London is a legitimate WR1, and there's no denying the talent of Bijan Robinson, only his usage within the offense. Some blame falls on Arthur Smith for boneheaded play-calling, but Ridder has been completely incapable of unlocking his weapons at every turn. He either plays afraid or careless; for every promising pass up the field, there's a dinky screen pass or a complete misfire to the open man.
Atlanta needs to find a new QB, which should start with the 2024 NFL Draft. After spending so many first-round picks on their skill positions, it's time for the Falcons to invest in a talented young quarterback with the upside to one day win NFL football games. Ridder has the look of a career backup. If the Falcons dangle him as trade bait, and the Steelers shouldn't bite. He might be worse than Pickett.
Steelers should steer clear of Jimmy Garoppolo despite his reputation
The Las Vegas Raiders have handed the offense over to rookie Aidan O'Connell, which means the writing is on the wall for Jimmy Garoppolo. He was able to coast on the Josh McDaniels relationship to begin the season, but the Raiders are clearly ready to move in a new direction under Antonio Pierce (or his eventual replacement), which means Garoppolo will hit 2024 free agency in need of a new home.
At 32 years old, Garoppolo has established a fair amount of respect around the NFL. He was a top-shelf backup to Tom Brady in New England, before becoming a winning starter under Kyle Shanahan with the San Francisco 49ers. Garoppolo has a career record of 43-20, highlighted by that magical 13-3 campaign in 2019.
Unfortunately, Garoppolo's days of so-called magic are in the rearview mirror. In six starts this season, Garoppolo has completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 1,205 yards, seven touchdowns, and nine interceptions. The idea behind Garoppolo has been consistency over explosiveness. He has never been a big-play machine, but he was always lauded for his ability to manage a game and make quick decisions in the pocket. When such a player starts to commit more turnovers than touchdowns, it's time to hit the reset button.
Garoppolo may have a future as a prestige backup, but he's not a starting QB any team should bank on. The Steelers can win games the hard way with a below-average QB under center, but if that's the goal, the team should simply stick with Pickett. If the Steelers want to raise their ceiling and boost their offense, it will take a serious commitment to arm talent and meaningful improvement at QB — not just a veteran with a flashy name.
Pittsburgh should avoid the Garoppolo experience at all costs.