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Steelers 'absolutely open' to drafting quarterback this offseason
Pittsburgh Steelers vice president and and general manager Kevin Colbert. Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

Steelers 'absolutely open' to drafting quarterback this offseason

Although the Pittsburgh Steelers are committed to Ben Roethlisberger as their starting quarterback in 2021, the franchise hasn't closed the door on drafting a quarterback.

General Manager Kevin Colbert acknowledged as much on Monday, saying, "We always have to be on the look for that next guy." 

Per NFL Media, as transcribed by Pro Football Talk:

"Again, wide open to all of it," Colbert said, via NFL Media. "If you look at our current depth, obviously we have four NFL veteran quarterbacks on our roster, which I feel great about. We also have three of those four that are in the last year of their so-called deals, when you look at it realistically. So it's an unusual group in that we do have four. Can you add a young one? Absolutely. We always have to be on the look for that next guy and try to predict the value of taking that player at that position because most likely a young quarterback won't play for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021.

"It goes all the way back to Ben. Ben wasn't a sure pick when we were sitting there at 11 because we had more pressing issues than a quarterback because Tommy had done some good things for us. It wasn't like we couldn't have started a season with Tommy. When Ben was there for us, it would've been a huge mistake not to take him. So we'll always be open to adding what we believe is the most critical position. But again, we feel good about having four vets to work with at this point."

Roethlisberger could be entering his final season with the Steelers. He's 39 years old and his career will almost certainly come to an end within the next few seasons. 

The Steelers have Dwayne Haskins, Mason Rudolph and Joshua Dobbs on the roster and one of those guys could end up taking over when Roethlisberger calls it quits. 

Pittsburgh has the 24th overall pick in the draft, so the Steelers likely won't land one of the top QBs in this year's draft. However, Kyle Trask, Kellen Mond, Davis Mills and Ian Book could be solid options for the franchise. 

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