Big Ben Outlines Steelers’ Biggest Needs This Offseason
The Pittsburgh Steelers are guaranteed at least two more games this season — Saturday’s regular-season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals and next week’s Wild Card Round game.
Even though the playoffs are on the horizon, former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is already thinking about what Pittsburgh’s top needs should be in the offseason.
For Roethlisberger, it starts at wide receiver. He thinks the Steelers need to find a true “outside wide receiver” to pair with George Pickens. That’s something that general manager Omar Khan really failed to address in 2024.
“You’ve got to go find more weapons on offense… I think you feel comfortable on the line. You got to go find some playmakers,” Roethlisberger said on his Footbahlin podcast.
Roethlisberger also thinks it would be wise for the Steelers to re-sign Najee Harris on a cheap deal. The latter might be easier said than done. Harris most likely will find a more lucrative offer elsewhere in free agency.
At the quarterback position, Roethlisberger would like to see the Steelers run it back with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
“You need a quarterback in this league to win. I would do everything I could to try to sign Russ to a two-year deal,” Roethlisberger said. “And I would try to keep Justin Fields as well. This would be my wish list. I’d try and keep both of them. I’d let Russ have the job, but let them compete and let Justin continue to learn.
“I don’t think that you want to lose Justin. So maybe the better plan is to try and offer Russ a one-year 30 [million dollar deal], or whatever it is. I think it’d kill the cap, but just to try and keep Justin around for another year and see what you can get. Let him develop, but I don’t know if Russ would take that either though.
“I’ve always been a fan of letting a guy sit for a year or two. Like, I think you just get so much experience from sitting behind a good veteran guy. Which is why I think this has helped Justin to sit behind Russ a little bit. Which, I don’t think it’d hurt to do another year, but I just think what you’ve seen from Justin, you can get a guy that can make a lot of splash.”
Roethlisberger guesses the Steelers would give Wilson a three-year deal worth $100 million.
“You’re not gonna be able to give Russ, I don’t think you can do a one-year. If I were a betting man, I would say if the Steelers really wanted Russ back, I assume it would be like a three year for $100 million, kind of what Baker Mayfield got in Tampa,” Roethlisberger said.
Despite Wilson really regressing in the last four games, Roethlisberger believes he earned an extension with the Steelers.
“Yeah, I think so. I think he’s played well, especially in that stretch in the middle. Obviously, he hasn’t played well the last couple games. Only one of those was with George, which is a big deal for Russ,” Roethlisberger said. “To me, Russ is a feast-or-famine guy. He’s throwing really short passes, or he’s throwing the deep ball. He’s got one of the prettiest and best deep balls in the game.”
Roethlisberger likes where the Steelers are at on the offensive line, but he ripped the unit for how they’ve been playing as of late.
“I don’t understand how we are still giving up that kind of pressure. I mean Russ is running for his life a lot,” he said. “I hate to say it, but it’s something we have talked about. When you get a lot of young guys up front and I know people are saying I’m talking out of both sides of my mouth. I do think they have played well for the most part this year. At this point in the season, they are getting worn down. You have got young guys who go from playing college, to the draft, right into the season. It’s the rookie wall. They call it that for a reason. We are starting to see that from those guys up front, but I think it’s encouraging for next year.”
On the defensive side of the ball, Roethlisberger would like to see the Steelers bolster the secondary.
“You gotta go back in the draft and really try to focus on the secondary. You like [Joey Porter Jr.] , you like Minkah [Fitzpatrick] … if you don’t have DBs on the outside, teams are gonna pick us apart. Patrick Mahomes threw for 320-something yards and three touchdowns, and there was no pressure on him. If we don’t get pressure, we can’t stop on the back end,” Roethlisberger said.
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