It's hard to envision the Pittsburgh Steelers without Ben Roethlisberger under center. The big-bodied, yet overly effective Pittsburgh passer has been a constant in the steel city over the last 13 seasons.
The sad reality is Roethlisberger's time in the NFL is coming to an end. In January, the 34-year old was vocal about his feelings surrounding the future.
"I'm going to take the offseason to evaluate, to consider all options," Roethlisberger said on 93.7 The Fan when the season ended. "To consider health and family and things like that, and just kind of take some time away to evaluate next season, if there's going to be a next season."
RELATED: Who Will Replace Brad Kaaya At Quarterback For Miami Football?
Most folks in NFL circles are taking the comments with a grain of salt, at least for the immediate future.
The barrage of injuries point to an end that will come sooner than later, but Big Ben will almost certainly be the Steelers starting QB when training camp rolls around at the end of July.
Beyond that, though? It's tough to see Roethlisberger playing for more than another season or two and Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert is well aware of his quarterback situation. Neither Landry Jones or Zach Mettenberger have blown the coaching staff away. Pittsburgh is actively shopping for a quarterback who could potentially lead the franchise in the post Roethlisberger era.
On Wednesday, Colbert spent the day in Coral Gables for the sole purpose of scouting former Miami QB Brad Kaaya.
Steelers GM Kevin Colbert (left) is in attendance to see University of Miami QB Brad… https://t.co/yJzXhcpmK1 pic.twitter.com/LvAaVIdTBd
— James Walker (@JamesWalkerNFL) March 29, 2017
This whole thing makes a ton of sense. The Steelers have a bevy of draft picks, including the 30th selection in the first four rounds. It's a fair bet Pittsburgh won't chase a quarterback in the first two rounds, especially considering the lack of depth in this year's class. They will take care of other needs — and likely search for a sleeper-type passer somewhere in rounds 3-5 — with the hope to groom and develop the player as Big Ben's eventual replacement.
Kaaya fits that mold to a tee. CBS Sports lists the Miami standout as the No. 7 ranked QB in this year's class, expected to get selected in the third or fourth round.
There was a time not too long ago when the Miami passer was viewed as a prospect that would translate immediately to a NFL starter. Kaaya caught eyes after his freshman season, throwing for 3,198 yards 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The Hurricanes signal caller had a decent collegiate career but is heavily criticized by pro talent evaluators. His stats look okay from last season as he learned a brand new offense under Mark Richt (3,532 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, 7 interceptions) yet Kaaya is consistently viewed in that third tier of quarterbacks in this year's draft often falling behind names like California's Davis Webb and Pittsburgh's Nathan Peterman (who could be the steal of the class by the way).
Here's an interesting look at some of the knocks on Kaaya written up by the folks at Walterfootball.com based on conversations with NFL shakers and movers.
"One general manager of a playoff team that is very skilled at quarterback evaluation said they had Kaaya as a fifth-round pick. They feel he has no mobility, can't throw well under pressure, and while his arm is decent, he doesn't blow them away. Two other teams said they graded Kaaya as a late-third, early fourth rounder. Multiple teams also expressed they have concerns about Kaaya lacking leadership. As expected, he threw the ball well at the combine."
I'm far from a NFL GM, but I've always felt Kaaya has more upside than people are giving him credit for. He may not be the biggest, fastest or have a world-class arm, but he does everything fairly well. One thing that really popped out was Kaaya's ability to sell the play action.
Absolutely beautiful play fake from Brad Kaaya here pic.twitter.com/DPkittEVAg
— Ryan Booher (@bootang25) March 23, 2017
That's an underrated piece of every signal caller's game that's rarely talked about, even though it may be viewed as a basic skill.
Kaaya's consistency in hitting the deep ball jumped out as well. He's shown precise accuracy every time I've looked at his film, while making quick-sound decisions along the way.
Do I think Kaaya is going to break out as the next Tom Brady or Aaaron Rodgers? Probably not. But do I think he could be a high-level starting QB? There's a chance. Let's just hope the Steelers fan base can be patient if that's the direction they choose to go.
