Steelers backup quarterback job is Landry Jones’ to lose
PITTSBURGH 鈥� In a hurry to catch a flight late last week, Landry Jones apologized for having to keep an interview short. With his wife and infant son waiting for him back home, it was understandable why Jones would be in a rush to get out of Pittsburgh.
Even though Jones had a chance to leave town for good in March as an unrestricted free agent, the 28-year-old is glad to be back in Pittsburgh, back with the only team the quarterback has ever known.
鈥淭here was nothing really that came in free agency, so for me I wasn鈥檛 going to leave and go somewhere else to be a backup,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淢y thoughts were that if there wasn鈥檛 a spot out there for me and maybe compete, I would just come back here.鈥�
And so, after signing a two-year, $4.4 million deal, Jones is back to serve as Ben Roethlisberger鈥檚 understudy. Given Roethlisberger鈥檚 age (35) and injury history, that means that Jones stands a pretty good chance of seeing even more game action in 2017. Jones started two games each of the past two seasons, compiling a 2-2 record and completing 60.3 percent of his passes while throwing seven touchdowns and six interceptions.
Last season, with Roethlisberger out with a torn meniscus against New England in Week 7, Jones threw for more yards (281-222) than Tom Brady in a loss. With Roethlisberger sitting out the regular-season finale, Jones led the Steelers to a 27-24 win over the Browns in overtime, capped by his 26-yard TD pass to Cobi Hamilton.
Those performances weren鈥檛 enough to land Jones a starting job elsewhere or, really, even boost his confidence. That, he says, is something he鈥檚 always had in himself.
鈥淵ou always feel like you can go out there and play successfully,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou wouldn鈥檛 be here if you didn鈥檛 think that. For me, I have all the confidence in the world in myself and my teammates if I had to play, to go out there and win a game.鈥�
Despite what Jones thinks, he is that rare Pittsburgh athlete: He isn鈥檛 universally loved, disproving the myth that the Steelers backup QB has the best job in town. Of course, a lot, if not most, of that has to do with Roethlisberger and the success that he has enjoyed here.
With Roethlisberger hinting at retirement at the end of last season, the Steelers vowed to take a greater look at their QB depth in the off-season, and they did. They selected the University of Tennessee鈥檚 Josh Dobbs in the fourth round of the draft and, two days later, parted ways with Zach Mettenberger.
Whether Dobbs is the heir apparent to Roethlisberger remains to be seen. Dobbs is highly-intelligent, which should serve the Steelers well, but is a developmental quarterback, at best, at this point. Dobbs has been using OTAs to sponge anything he can from Roethlisberger and Jones.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all welcome knowledge out there,鈥� Dobbs said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e just trying to glean as much as you can.鈥�
In the meantime, at least for this season, the No. 2 spot is Jones鈥� to lose, something he doesn鈥檛 intend on happening anytime soon.
鈥淚f I go out there and just coast into the season, I leave myself open to losing my spot,鈥� Jones said.