While in the here and now the quarterback position for the Steelers is anything but a problem, there will eventually be life without Ben Roethlisberger. The quarterback position may be the hardest position to fill with a long term starter out of any position in any sport. With that in mind, and with the age and contract situation of Roethlisberger it would be in their best interest to begin searching for a future starter as soon as possible.

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Roethlisberger is 34 now. He has a contract that keeps him with the team until 2019 when he will be 38 years old. While it feels like Roethlisberger is a mythical creature at times, a guy who can play through anything and may just never tire down, there is also the fact that in his eleven-year career, he missed 20 games due to some form of injury. Father time is undefeated, and there is a chance that by the time Roethlisberger is due a new contract, he will potentially be staring down a decision of retirement.

When looking at the current construction of the Steelers roster, it is hard to make the case that any of the quarterbacks will be on the roster at that point. The Steelers drafted Landry Jones in 2013, but in his three seasons with the Steelers he had failed to earn even a backup job before Bruce Gradkowski handed it to him by going down to injury. Jones saw the field last year, and while it was not as bad as some may have imagined, most of Steelers nation can understand that there is not a future starter here.

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Jones is due a contract this year, and there is a decent chance that the Steelers do not even bother bringing him back for the 2017 season. Gradkowski still holds the backup job lead over Jones, but he is now 33 and missed a whole season last year. Gradkowski is basically now on a year by year basis in terms of a contract, and there is no chance he will be competing for starting reps from this point on. Dustin Vaughan is on the roster, but at this point appears to be a training camp body.

It means that next year there is a very good chance the Steelers will need to find a third quarterback. There are reports that the Steelers may have been interested in moving up in the draft this past year to take a quarterback, and while they missed on that chance, it is the right mentality for the Steelers to be in.

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Drafting a quarterback in 2017 would give him the rookie four-year contract. It would mean that he would have one year left on his current deal by the time that Roethlisberger is due his new contract. In a perfect world, the quarterback drafted in 2017 would use this opportunity to step in for Roethlisberger, if Roethlisberger were to hang up his cleats. It would give the Steelers three years to groom him, and one year with a cheap quarterback to see what he is all about and decide if he is worth a contract extension.

It is always smart to look ahead in the NFL, and it appears the Steelers thought that if the right name was on the board that they could start building a replacement this season. While it did not work out, the timing is perfect to find your guy this year. Of course, the right player will have to be there at the right time, and by no means does it have to be a first round pick, but at some point in the 2017 draft, the Steelers should be looking quarterback.