Steelers Predicted To Purchase 112-TD QB After Letting Russell Wilson, Justin Fields Stroll as Free Brokers
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been caught in a cycle of regular-season respectability adopted by postseason actuality checks. Regardless of ending 10-7 for the second consecutive 12 months, their 2024 season led to disappointment but once more, as they misplaced 28-14 within the Wild Card Spherical to the Baltimore Ravens.
Splitting the season between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields could have helped them keep aggressive, however it did little to masks the obtrusive hole between them and true contenders when it mattered most.
Now, with each quarterbacks set to hit free company, the Steelers seem prepared to interrupt the cycle, they usually may flip to a stunning veteran to stabilize the place: Sam Darnold.
May Sam Darnold Be the New Starter in Pittsburgh?
ESPN’s Seth Walder just lately recommended that Darnold, who’s coming off a career-defining 12 months with the Minnesota Vikings, may very well be the Steelers’ most suitable choice. With no excessive draft choose to land a top-tier rookie, Pittsburgh could also be inclined to focus on the very best out there free agent quarterback.
“Maintaining Fields is a risk, but when the Steelers actually preferred him, why did they proceed to play Russell Wilson over him? And although I’ve some wholesome skepticism of how Darnold will fare with out Kevin O’Connell and Justin Jefferson, he’s arguably the very best free agent quarterback out there,” Walder mentioned.
“The Steelers land him as a result of they’ve essentially the most to supply — a doubtlessly superb protection, profitable historical past underneath Mike Tomlin and the shortage of a high choose (making them much less prone to take a first-round rookie).”
Darnold’s just lately confirmed capability to steer a profitable crew makes him a lovely choice for the Steelers. He completed 2024 with a PFSN QB+ score of 79.0 (B), rating twelfth within the league, and performed a pivotal position within the Vikings’ extraordinarily sudden and spectacular 14-3 report. Whereas he faltered within the postseason, his regular-season numbers counsel he was greater than only a product of Minnesota’s offensive system.
Is Darnold the Proper Transfer for the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Darnold enters free company because the Tenth-ranked participant on PFSN’s High 100 Free Agent record. Regardless of some struggles in high-pressure moments, he had stable manufacturing in 2024, ending eighth in web yards per try (7.3) and throwing 35 touchdowns towards 12 interceptions. He was eleventh in EPA per dropback from a clear pocket (0.29) and fifteenth in third-down conversion charge (39.3%), displaying his effectivity.
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Nevertheless, his points contained in the opponent’s half — the place he ranked thirtieth in EPA per dropback (-0.08) — elevate considerations about his capability to complete pivotal drives. Nonetheless, in comparison with Pittsburgh’s present choices, he supplies extra stability than draw back.
With Wilson’s and Fields’ futures within the Metal Metropolis remaining unsure, the Steelers want a solution at quarterback. Whether or not Darnold is the suitable one stays to be seen, however after years of falling quick within the playoffs, one thing wants to vary earlier than regression begins to happen.
