On Monday, January 3, Ben Roethlisberger waved his goodbye at Heinz Field, signaling the end of his run with the Pittsburgh Steelers and opening the door for a future quarterback competition scenario in Steel City.
On that same night, Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns endured a tumultuous performance before going on injured reserve — perhaps signifying his end with the “Dawg Pound.”
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Why does Jimmy Garoppolo get mentioned in the same breath? Before that game, a pair of NFL analysts predicted the future potential home for the San Francisco 49ers quarterback.
Garoppolo Could fit With one of Those AFC North Teams
In a December 28 episode of Heavy’s I’m Just Saying, the debate on who will be the Steelers’ starting quarterback became a hot button discussion among the show’s panelists.
One of the four Heavy writers has a strong belief that the former New England Patriot Garoppolo will soon make his way back to the AFC: Yours truly.
Why do I believe Garoppolo to the Steelers could work for both parties in 2022? I cited these two reasons:
Running game: Garoppolo, though he’s currently battling a thumb injury that sidelined him for the 23-7 49ers win over the Houston Texans on Sunday, January 2, is operating in an offense that’s running back first, quarterback second. While the Steelers became more passer-centric toward the end of Roethlisberger’s run there, Pittsburgh does have a rising running back star in 2021 first rounder Najee Harris. The first-year player from Alabama has 1,172 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging four yards a carry for Pittsburgh.
NAJEE HARRIS STIFF ARMED HIM INTO OBLIVION 💪
A ‘Deebo’ Already in Steel City: Garoppolo has also spent time handing off the football to the versatile Deebo Samuel, who has provided his spark to the 49ers’ ground attack. Well if Garoppolo does end up in Pittsburgh, he has his Samuel-type in Juju Smith-Schuster. While Smith-Schuster is on injured reserve, the Steelers have found ways to get him the ball outside of throwing it to him, notably below.
La difficoltà nel segnare TD una volta entrati in red zone ha fatto sì che i #Raiders si complicassero la vita, concedendo agli Steelers di passare in vantaggio con JuJu Smith-Schuster nel secondo quarto
With the way the offense is structured in Pittsburgh, plus with having a young rising backfield talent in Harris, this could persuade the Steelers to return to being run-heavy post Roethlisberger era. All the more reason why Garoppolo, who again is in a run-oriented offense, could thrive there if he’s not welcomed back to the Bay Area.
But am I the only one who believes that Garoppolo could be the successor to the two-time Super Bowl winner Roethlisberger?
What the Others Said
Out of the four, the show host Brian Mazique is one who saw the potential fit Garoppolo has with the Steelers should a move be made. Mazique, who writes for Heavy on Patriots and Bulls, made mention of other talent that could surround Jimmy G.
“There’s Deontay Johnson, there’s Chase Claypool, there’s a really solid tight end in Pat Freiermuth — they have some weapons,” Mazique said. “So there are a lot of quarterbacks who would love to fall in there. I do think Jimmy would do very well if he can stay upright.”
Mazique, though, went with Cam Newton as his top choice — citing how a change of scenery and having more time to learn a new offense could benefit him.
Meanwhile, Ryan Sanudo from Heavy on Cardinals believes it won’t be Garoppolo, but Roethlisberger’s successor and the Steelers’ next franchise quarterback will come from the 2022 NFL Draft: Matt Corral of Ole Miss, saying “they got to get younger at quarterback. I mean you got a fossil at quarterback. Basically a corpse.” Then cited how Corral has risen in mock draft boards.
Lastly, Paul “Boy Green” Esden from Heavy on Jets was perplexed with what the Steelers’ plan was the last decade in Steel City: Mason Rudolph? Or Dwayne Haskins? But then, Esden went with a surprise pick: Marcus Mariota, calling him a fit in the Pittsburgh philosophy and one who could bring a needed mobile presence to take pressure off of Harris.
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Analysts Predict the 2022 Home of 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo