The Steelers will open training camp July 28 at Heinz Field. As is usually the case, camp will include a number of battles, not just for roster spots, but for starting jobs.
This series will take a look at those battles as we head into camp.
Today: No. 3 quarterback
Who: Devlin Hodges, Paxton Lynch, J.T Barrett
The Skinny: There's an adage in football that says if you're down to your third-string quarterback, you're in a lot of trouble. The Steelers bucked that old standard for much of the 2019 season until it finally rang true in the final three weeks of the season.
Ben Roethlisberger will be back this season and the expectation is that he should be good as ever after playing just six quarters in 2019. And the Steelers have been adamant about their faith in Mason Rudolph as the backup, so much so they didn't explore any other options, despite some erroneous reports to the contrary.
But the Steelers also believe organizationally in keeping three quarterbacks on their active roster. And they will definitely do so again.
So, will it be Hodges, who was released at the end of training camp, then re-signed after Josh Dobbs was traded to the Jaguars, going 3-3 as a starter? Or, will it be former Broncos' first-round draft pick Lynch, signed after Roethlisberger was injured? Or, might it be Barrett, who was added to the practice squad late in the year when Rudolph was injured?
The Edge: This will be interesting without actual preseason games to help decide this battle.
Believe it or not, Hodges has the most experience of the group despite joining the Steelers as an undrafted rookie last season. His eight career games played are three more than Lynch. His six starts are two more than Lynch has made. And all of Lynch's playing time came in 2016 and 2017 for the Broncos.
Barrett, meanwhile, has never appeared in an NFL game.
Hodges will start camp as No. 3. Whether he can hold onto that spot is another matter. Lynch has a huge edge in terms of his physical attributes, such as arm strength, size and strength. Kevin Colbert spoke volumes about the situation earlier this season when he said the team figured it needed to hold opponents to 17 points or less when Rudolph became the starter and 13 points or less when Hodges was starting.
Hodges has moxie, but his limitations became more apparent the more he played last season. But Lynch failed in Denver because he reportedly wasn't a student of the game. He insisted late last season that had changed. We'll see.
The Steelers were very high on Lynch, however, in the 2017 draft.
Barrett is easily No. 5 here and without any games in which to prove himself, it will be difficult for him to pass the other two.
The bet here is that the coaching staff saw enough of Hodges and his limitations last season that they'll wind up going with Lynch as the No. 3. But, the team also could keep four quarterbacks during the season on what will be an expanded practice squad, just in case one of the others is injured or tests positive for coronavirus.
And a player who made six starts at the position in 2019 would be a nice fit for that. Then again, so would Lynch.
Tomorrow: Outside Linebacker
Monday: If Feiler is at LG, who starts at RT?
Tuesday: Steelers have options at nose tackle
Wednesday: Battle at tight end is for the third spot
Thursday: Safety in numbers
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