Getty The Steelers might want to avoid signing Andy Dalton.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will start a new era in 2022.
The Steelers will search for a new franchise quarterback for the first time in 19 years. Following the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh will be forced to look at a number of different avenues for their next quarterback. They could look within the organization, draft a quarterback or acquire a veteran to replace Roethlisberger.
While holdovers Mason Rudolph and Dwyane Haskins will have the first cracks at potentially winning the starting quarterback job, it’s very possible the Steelers bring in another veteran to compete. Both Rudolph (26 years old) and Haskins (24 years old) remain young and inexperienced. When combining both of their experiences, Rudolph and Haskins have combined for just 23 starts.
It also doesn’t help the fact that neither have been stellar in their brief dips as starting quarterbacks. Rudolph and Haskins have a combined record of 8-14-1.
The Steelers hold a decent draft position in the 2022 NFL draft at No. 20 overall. But there’s no guarantee they’ll find a quarterback that they’re targeting. For example, the University of Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett is projected in mock drafts as going in the top 10.
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Knox: Steelers Should Avoid Dalton
If the Steelers do decide to go in the route of a veteran quarterback via free agency, there’s one quarterback they should avoid. According to Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, the Steelers should avoid signing Chicago Bears quarterback Andy Dalton.
“Whether the Steelers give Haskins and/or Joshua Dobbs a legitimate audition, look to the draft or look at veterans like Mitchell Trubisky and Jameis Winston in free agency, they have options,” says Knox. “One of them, though, shouldn’t be journeyman quarterback Andy Dalton.
Dalton would bring AFC North experience to the proverbial table after spending the first nine seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. However, Dalton is a 34-year-old who reached his ceiling long ago and is now better suited to be a backup. He started six games for the Chicago Bears in 2021 and finished with an underwhelming 76.9 passer rating.”
Dalton is a veteran of 11 years and has served as a starter for essentially his entire career. The 34-year-old quarterback entered the 2021 season as the Bears’ starting quarterback before he was eventually supplanted by rookie Justin Fields after suffering a knee injury early in the season.
After Fields’ own injury sidelined him late in the season, Dalton started a few more games to middling results. Dalton finished the season with eight touchdowns against nine interceptions for a 76.9 quarterback rating and a 3-3 record.
Those numbers were actually a decline from his already pedestrian numbers in 2020 as the Dallas Cowboys’ starting quarterback. In nine games started, Dalton led the Cowboys to just a 4-5 record with statistics of 14 touchdowns against 8 interceptions for an 87.3 quarterback rating.
Knox goes on to note that the Steelers would be better off starting Rudolph rather than a veteran stopgap option such as Dalton.
“This past season, Dalton played on a one-year, $10 million deal, and he’s likely to command a similar price tag in 2022,” says Knox. “The Steelers shouldn’t look to spend that on a mere placeholder when they could turn to Rudolph for the job.
Rudolph is extremely limited as a quarterback, but he’s already under contract and has experience with Pittsburgh’s schemes and personnel.”
Dalton Extremely Limited At This Stage of Career
At this stage of his career, Dalton is best served playing a backup quarterback role on rebuilding teams with young quarterbacks. In the case of the Steelers, they’re looking to reload — not rebuild — in the aftermath of the Roethlisberger era.
When factoring in Dalton’s limited mobility and the Steelers’ lackluster offensive line play — Pittsburgh ranked 16th in the league at 38 sacks allowed despite a quick-passing attack designed to cover up the unit’s weaknesses — there’s little upside to signing Dalton.
If the Steelers really want to go through the free agency route for a veteran quarterback, there are better and younger options available such as Teddy Bridgewater and Jameis Winston.
The Steelers are better served looking elsewhere for their next potential starting quarterback.