The Pittsburgh Steelers have their backs against the cliff; there’s no other way to look at it. The team is facing a dark outlook between T.J. Watt’s situation potentially heading south and the lack of a clear-cut quarterback solution. However, all is not lost.
Dan Orlovsky Gets Real About Pittsburgh Steelers QB Situation
Speaking on an April 21 edition of “Get Up,” NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky bluntly discussed the Steelers’ dark outlook but stayed optimistic about a quarterback prospect from Alabama.
“Yeah, as time has gone on, I’m more intrigued with the Steelers and Jalen Milroe than I was two or three weeks ago. … I don’t think that there’s a team in the NFL that is in a worse situation when it comes to the quarterback position than the Pittsburgh Steelers,” he said.
“The reason I say Milroe, a couple things. Number one, the likelihood that he’ll be there at 21, number two, the receivers on the perimeter, both George Pickens and DK Metcalf. Could you imagine a quarterback with the ability to push the ball downfield like Milroe? …He is not perfect. He is flawed. There’s no doubt about it,” he added.
“No quarterback had more explosive runs downfield than Jalen Milroe last year. … 19 touchdown runs of 10 or more yards,” he concluded.
Jalen Milroe scored 33 touchdowns on the ground throughout his college career. He also threw 45 passing touchdowns. One comparison is often made to Lamar Jackson, though not at Jackson’s level. Jackson was drafted at the end of the first round, somewhat similarly to what Orlovsky recommended for Milroe.
How Jalen Milroe Could Be Steelers’ Only Option
The Pittsburgh Steelers, who already needed help as the 25th-ranked offense in PFSN’s offense+ metric, are without two starting quarterbacks they had in 2024. Unless they get a quarterback, they are stuck with Mason Rudolph, who ranked 26th on PFSN’s QB rankings.
Many have mocked Jaxson Dart to join the Pittsburgh Steelers, but with Shedeur Sanders falling and interest in Dart rising, there’s a risk that Dart could be picked before 21st overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. If that happens, Milroe could be the next quarterback in the rankings to grab.
The Steelers don’t have a second-round pick, so they must use their first-rounder on Milroe. Milroe fits into the Justin Fields archetype, meaning Tomlin would be in his wheelhouse.
However, Fields was benched early in the season, leaving a question about whether Tomlin could win with a potentially more raw version of Fields. Will the Steelers end up with Jalen Milroe?