The Denver Broncos fiddled around for years with the quarterback situation, but things changed for the better when Sean Payton arrived back in 2023. Thankfully, Payton clearly emerged as the man in charge when the team used pick 12 on Bo Nix in the 2024 NFL Draft.
This came some time after cutting Russell Wilson and, at the time, taking on an NFL-record dead cap hit of $85 million. The Broncos ripped off the Band-Aid and did not try to 'make it work' with a veteran who wasn't workable anymore.
And in the two quick seasons since then, we have not only seen other teams across the NFL find their franchise passers, but there are some teams who just continue to struggle and are stuck in the mud, not being able to find a long-term solution. Some recent 2026 NFL Draft intel paints this exact picture for another AFC team that continues to dig a deeper hole at the position.
The Denver Broncos got their QB and ended that debate entirely... but this AFC team has not
A couple of blurbs from Brooke Pryor and Matt Miller over at ESPN really paint a bleak picture for the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback situation, and any time I read something like this, I am reminded of how well the Broncos went through their own quarterback process to land on Nix:
"It seems unlikely the Steelers will use their first-round pick on a quarterback, but don't rule out a selection on Day 2 or Day 3, even if Aaron Rodgers returns. New head coach Mike McCarthy and the scouting staff have been doing their homework on several prospects in the quarterback class, including Carson Beck (Miami), Drew Allar (Penn State) and Garrett Nussmeier (LSU). Both McCarthy and GM Omar Khan have been transparent about their signal-caller wish list: long arms, big hands and a knack for thriving in the cold weather."-- Brooke Pryor
"The Steelers might not have a clear-cut quarterback of the future on the roster, but one internal source said that they won't be forced to draft one this year. That source noted Pittsburgh will play the board first and that Will Howard, last year's sixth-round pick, has fans in the front office." -- Matt Miller
You just have to scratch your head at the Steelers quarterback moves. What is insane here is that the best chance for this team to succeed in 2026 is to have Aaron Rodgers return for one more season. That right there is a huge indictment on the franchise for botching the position for so long.
The Steelers even tried their hand at Wilson in 2024, and while it got off to a great start, things unsurprisingly took a nosedive. Not only that, but Miller notes that second-year quarterback Will Howard has 'fans' in the front office. Sure, there is always a chance that Howard could be someone, but he was a sixth-round pick for a reason.
And in this year's draft class, the quarterback talent just is not close to what it was back in 2024. The Steelers are stuck in the mud again at the most important position in sports. We did see the Broncos go through this for years, and it's clear that Payton simply needed to come in and save this franchise.
Until Pittsburgh takes the route that the Broncos, Chicago Bears, and New England Patriots took, they'll continue to waddle in mediocre waters. I