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As the Cleveland Browns added a three-time Pro Bowler, and the Denver Broncos added a Super Bowl winner, and the Indianapolis Colts added a former NFL MVP, the Pittsburgh Steelers added … Mitch Trubisky?
The Steelers appear to be the losers of the great quarterback arms race happening across the AFC, including the importing of Russell Wilson and Matt Ryan from the NFC to the Broncos and Colts, respectively. Deshaun Watson — still under the cloud of 22 civil lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct and facing possible suspension — is the new quarterback of the Steelers’ longtime rival Browns.
Except that the Steelers might not be done restocking at quarterback as the NFL Draft nears.
“We’ve been at top quarterback Pro Days for the first time in a long time because we may be in a position where we have [a need],” general manager Kevin Colbert said Sunday on a conference call with reporters, according to ESPN. “Does that mean we’re taking one? Possibly.”
Colbert is not at the NFL owners’ meetings in Florida because he is on the Pro Day circuit. North Carolina’s Sam Howell will hold his showcase Monday. Head coach Mike Tomlin is at the owners’ meetings — and “pissed” about it — after attending the Pro Days for Pittsburgh’s Kenny Pickett, Liberty’s Malik Willis, Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder, and Mississippi’s Matt Corral.
“We understand speculation comes with it but we aren’t hiding,” Tomlin said, according to The Athletic.
Why didn’t the Steelers enter the trade sweepstakes in the hunt for the retired Ben Roethlisberger’s replacement?
Colbert, who will retire after the draft, said that the Steelers didn’t want to part with picks to add a veteran quarterback, which took them out of the trade market and put the emphasis on signing Trubisky to a two-year, $14.2 million contract at the start of free agency. Trubisky, the former No. 2 pick in the 2017 draft, was 29-21 as a starter for the Bears before spending last season as the Bills’ top backup.
Draft capital is important if the Steelers are going to trade up from No. 20. Some NFL personnel evaluators believe the Steelers could pounce if their top-ranked quarterback slides past the Panthers at No. 6, Falcons at No. 8 and Seahawks at No. 9.
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