The Pittsburgh Steelers are once again searching for an answer at the quarterback position, with reports now stating that Aaron Rodgers won’t return. This has been a familiar position for a franchise that has spent the post–Ben Roethlisberger in a very weird spot at the position.
It’s fair to mention that the Steelers might not land a great QB this offseason as they look to figure other things out with Mike Tomlin’s departure.
However, if they decide to do so, one of the more intriguing names now being mentioned is Malik Willis.
After spending time with the Green Bay Packers and playing very well in his short time, many believe he's arguably the best quarterback on the market this offseason
“Willis is likely to be the most coveted option on the open market after his ‘graduation’ from the Matt LaFleur Quarterback Finishing School in Green Bay. By my estimation, there are six teams in the QB hunt (not including the Raiders); the Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Jets, and the Cleveland Browns. Willis is likely to be one of the more coveted options across the league, and the Jets are clearly best positioned to land him,” Lombardo wrote.
The one issue that the Steelers could run into is the fact that multiple teams around the NFL will be searching for a quarterback.
For Pittsburgh, the idea of bringing in a player of his caliber makes a lot of sense.
Adding a quarterback that seems to be as good as Willis could put them in a position to be a very good team in the long-term if he ends up playing as well as some believe he can.
However, Willis wouldn’t be a guaranteed star or anything close to that. He’s unproven as a starter, and while he's played well, there’s no guarantee that he'll do so in a full season under center.
Willson wouldn’t come in as a finished product, but he’d bring tools the Steelers should be looking for at the quarterback position. The only question for them is whether they believe they can develop a quarterback, and that could be something the new coaching staff has to figure out.