ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum Expects Ben Roethlisberger to Be Benched This Season

It is no secret that ESPN analyst and former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum is no fan of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, and he has made that abundantly clear once again.

Joining Get Up on Thursday morning, Tannenbaum reiterated his belief that Roethlisberger will play poorly this season, and even went as far as to predict that he will be benched by the Steelers.

“He’s going to be bad, and I expect him to benched by the middle of the season,” Tannenbaum said.

The Steelers struggled to push the down the field as season ago, a weaknesses Tannenbaum blames on Roethlisberger. He does not expect that to improve in 2021 either, believing Roethlisberger simply does not have the ability to do so at his advanced age.

“When I was with the Jets and the Dolphins, Ben Roethlisberger was a big, physical, get the ball down the field quarterback. Stats don’t always paint the picture, but in 2015, Roethlisberger was third in the NFL in yards per pass attempt. Last year, at 38 years old, he was 31st. He just checked the ball down.”

Tannenbaum went on to say that he believes Roethlisberger is the fourth-best quarterback in the division, a deficiency he feels will ultimately be Pittsburgh’s downfall.

He also predicted that the Steelers will finish fourth in the AFC North last month.

Roethlisberger, who turned 39 in March, threw for 3,803 yards and 33 touchdowns with ten interceptions last season. He also completed 65.6% of his passes and was sacked a career-low 13 times.

"[Ben Roethlisberger] is going to be bad, and I expect him to benched by the middle of the season. … He's had a great career. It's over."

😳 @RealTannenbaum 😳 pic.twitter.com/AZFmHqZyTL

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) July 8, 2021