NFL Combine serving reminder of trickle-down effects Steelers will feel

INDIANAPOLIS -- Bears general manager Ryan Poles said his phone won't stop ringing, and Broncos general manager George Paton said he hasn't heard anything from any team.

Welcome to the opening moments of the NFL Combine.

While Steelers GM Omar Khan was unable to get his week of scouting and meetings started Tuesday because of a family emergency, other general managers, coaches, and front office personnel from the league's 32 teams descended upon the Indiana Convention Center to take their first steps into the future.

That goes for 2024 and beyond, for teams who are in win-now mode or looking for long-term love. The Steelers are, by all counts, setting their feet into both waters with a roster blended of young and veteran players.

Options are on the table. That's just diligence at this stage. General managers rub shoulders with general managers. Head coaches shake hands with other head coaches. Phone calls are made from team to team. Interest is gauged across all fronts.

For as much as Khan, Art Rooney II, Mike Tomlin, and the rest of the Steelers' front office is doing that, so are the other 31 teams in the league. At this level, everything is being felt out. That includes "Plan A" through "Plan Z."

"You're in the process of formulating a whole new roster. You've got your spots that you're going to fill and you're always looking at that every single year," Bears coach Matt Eberflus said Tuesday. "To me it's about formulating that as we go through this free agency and then filling holes within the draft and then, really, it's about coaches developing that talent and then putting everything in place and then build our football team as we get into offseason programs. That's what I'm most excited about."

Eberflus and Poles' Bears hold the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft, which is widely speculated to be used on Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams. That would make 2021 first-rounder Justin Fields available to other teams, and the decision on retaining or trading Fields will have an effect on moves other teams make this offseason.

"Everyone expected me to show up here and have some plan in place of what we're exactly going to do, and there's just so much information to gather and some of it's out of our control, as well," Poles said. "That makes it really difficult in terms of putting actual timelines together. But, like I said, you want to be absolutely transparent with these guys and let them know where they stand. I know living in gray is a very difficult place for anybody. (Fields) means a lot to us, he means a lot to me in the way that he's carried himself and led over the last two years. Things have not been easy, especially that first year. He's continued to improve, too. I've got a lot of respect for Justin, I've continued to have respect for him, and I always want to do right by him as we go through this process."

This trickle-down effect will drip onto the Steelers directly or indirectly, and it won't just come from the Bears. This scouting combine will provide every team the opportunity to survey the rookie class and develop plans around them. It also will serve as a hub for executives to plant seeds with the agents of pending free-agent players.

Nothing is guaranteed at this stage.

In the Steelers' case, those seeds with Mason Rudolph's representation have been planted for several years. Rooney and Tomlin have been vocal about their desires to retain Rudolph, but that doesn't immediately guarantee Rudolph re-signs. If he chooses another team after the free agency period begins March 14, the Steelers will have to divert to Plans B through Z to jump-start their desired competition with Kenny Pickett. That includes via free agency, a trade, or the draft but most likely would include a combination of two of those three options.

That's why links are being made. Fields, the Vikings' Kirk Cousins, the Broncos' Russell Wilson, other veteran options, and rookie options would have to be considered if Rudolph says neigh.

Getting the quarterback situation corrected is at the top of the Steelers' list. This was a problem avoided for two decades with Ben Roethlisberger in the building, but with his successor becoming less of an attractive option, the Steelers have fallen into the catalogue of teams searching through catalogues for a new franchise quarterback.

This comment from new Falcons coach Raheem Morris, ironically, paints the picture:

"If we had better quarterback play, I probably would not be standing here at this podium," Morris said. 

Morris replaced Arthur Smith, who has taken over as the Steelers' offensive coordinator and a major voice to who commandeers the Steelers at quarterback. Smith's offenses in Atlanta were average at best. The Falcons didn't finish above 15th in the league in points or above 17th in yards leaguewide, and they finished 7-10 in each season under Smith.

But a deeper dive into the Steelers' hiring of Smith comes from vetting processes forged from relationships. Falcons GM Terry Fontenot commended Smith as a "smart" guy for the coordinator position. On the other hand, Fontenot also mentioned Tomlin by name with respect to forging the Falcons' relationship with Morris.

"Love Arthur Smith. We spent three years together and we were like brothers, and we had a really collaborative relationship," Fontenot said. "Love Arthur, love his family, and we're rooting for him going to Pittsburgh. If you spend any time with him, you can tell right away he's a smart guy and all he's worries about is making that football team better. Gotten to talk to coach Tomlin over the last few weeks, too, now, being with Raheem and the relationship he has with Mike Tomlin, but I know they're going to have a really good relationship and they're going to do everything they can to make that team as good as they can."

The Steelers won't just be affected by the quarterback market. The trickle-down effects will run through the draft as they have in the past -- see last year when the Steelers jumped the Jets in the draft for Broderick Jones -- and nothing will be settled for a while.

It never hurts to lend an ear to those who are also making major decisions, though. Those who will make those major decisions will lend their eyes and ears to the players that pique their interests, and a community of scouting is helping to foster those relationships.

"It's really our first touch with these players and getting to know them personally," Eberflus said. "That's a big part of it, and it's a small part of it. Then you work on your pro days, you work on your (top) 30 visits, and from there you really work on getting to know the guys as we go from there. We're excited about it. (Poles) talked about it this morning. We don't have no big news for you today (regarding Fields). We're going through the process right now of figuring out the opportunities that we do have and potentially have and learn about these players as we go through the process."