It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for a weekly Steelers links roundup at BTSC. But first, let’s take a look around the AFC North:

Now, onto some Steelers news and discussion:

(From PennLive’s Nick Farabaugh): However, the Steelers made multiple moves this year, and Trice’s path to the field remains in the dime packages, which the Steelers have yet to install.

As for his mentality, Trice trained with star outside linebacker T.J. Watt in hopes of learning some studying habits at the team facility. They became close, and Watt even gave Trice a shoutout during his first press conference this year.

“I really just wanna prove that I can just show that I can just help the team win. So that’s all we wanna do is just show them I can help the team win for real. Offseason, I was just grinding, I was just running a lot and just make sure my body was ready for all this,” Trice said.

Farabaugh provides a more quote-heavy camp recap after the Steelers’ Tuesday practice was moved inside due to weather. Barring more thunderstorms, the first day of pads should be today, July 30.

As for Trice, it’s a massive upcoming year for the young cornerback, who’s yet to play a full NFL season. He missed his entire rookie campaign with injury, and then appeared in just six games in 2024 — also due to injury.

However, there’s no doubt regarding the former seventh-round pick’s talent, and he’s surrounded by experienced veterans to learn from entering a pivotal 2025 where he appears to be on the roster bubble.

(From Steelers.com’s Teresa Varley): Steelers fans will have an opportunity to watch a live broadcast of The Pat McAfee Show in person from training camp at Saint Vincent College on Wednesday, July 30, or watch as it airs on ESPN.

Today, the popular ESPN show will be live at Steelers training camp. Varley notes the show will run from noon-2 p.m., ending right after practice officially begins at 1:55 p.m. Gates will open early at 11 a.m. for fans who want to watch the show live.

McAfee attended Plum High School near Pittsburgh and played collegiately at nearby West Virginia.

(From CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin and Bryan DeArdo): 6. Pittsburgh Steelers

Top QBs: Terry Bradshaw, Ben Roethlisberger, Neil O’Donnell, Bobby Layne

The Steelers are a true litmus test for what you value when defining “all-time quarterback success.” Is it steadily dynamic production? Or just rings? Because Bradshaw got four of those bad boys in the ‘70s and ‘80s, even if he was never the prettiest passer. “Big Ben” was more splashy, but even he was more rugged than plenty of peers. It’s just the Steeler Way.

Training camp’s arrival didn’t end list season, but at least this one is a creative and fun read from CBS Sports.

The Steelers’ No. 6 ranking might feel low, but it’s hard to argue putting Pittsburgh’s quarterback legacy above the star-studded top five. Even then, the Steelers rank just higher than strong contenders such as the Las Vegas Raiders (No. 8) and Los Angeles Rams (No. 7).

(From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac): In his seven seasons as an NFL offensive coordinator or head coach, Arthur Smith has had just one year in which he started training camp with an incumbent quarterback. This year is no different.

But he has never had a quarterback such as Aaron Rodgers.

“It’s impressive to watch him live,” Smith said. “And it’s unique.”

After just one week at Saint Vincent College, Smith is all but blown away by so many aspects of his 41-year-old quarterback, whom he calls a “perfect fit” for what he wants to do with the Steelers offense in 2025.

Dulac’s article is a good read, providing Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s perspective of getting to work with a future Hall of Famer in Aaron Rodgers.

But one quote particularly caught my eye, when Smith mentions the signal-callers he’s worked with in the past: “[Marcus] Mariota and Tannehill [in Tennessee] to Matt Ryan to [Desmond] Ridder [in Atlanta] to Justin and Russ and Mason [Rudolph]…”

That, paired with Dulac’s mention that Smith has rarely worked with the same quarterback twice in a row, got me thinking: Has Arthur Smith had really bad quarterback luck over his time in the NFL?

Who’s the best quarterback Arthur Smith has ever worked with?

Smith didn’t move to the offensive side of the ball in the NFL until 2012 as a quality control coach for the Tennessee Titans. Since then, the starting passers he’s worked with are as follows:

Matt Hasselbeck
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Jake Locker
Zach Mettenberger
Charlie Whitehurst
Marcus Mariota
Matt Cassel
Blaine Gabbert
Ryan Tannehill (his first year with the Titans, 2019, was Smith’s first year as offensive coordinator)
Matt Ryan (his last year with the Falcons, 2021, was Smith’s first as head coach)
Marcus Mariota (again)
Desmond Ridder
Taylor Heinicke
Justin Fields
Russell Wilson

In 2019, Ryan Tannehill was pretty good. He passed for 2,742 yards, 22 touchdowns, and just six interceptions, making the Pro Bowl and winning Comeback Player of the Year.

Of course, Smith has also worked with some future Hall of Fame/Hall of Very Good talents in Matt Ryan and Russell Wilson, but in both cases, it was near the end of their respective careers.

Ryan was a 3,968-yard passer in 2021, but he tossed 20 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. Wilson also had some highs in 2024 for Pittsburgh — he was even named to the Pro Bowl as a replacement — but fizzled out late in the season.

In short, Smith has never worked with a 4,000-yard passer, and his two years with Pro Bowl quarterbacks were somehow both sub-3,000-yard seasons.

While Aaron Rodgers follows the theme of late-career greats trying for one last hurrah in the Arthur Smith offense, his 2024 numbers (3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions) are better than both Wilson’s last year as well as Ryan’s 2021.

The bar isn’t very high, and Rodgers clearly isn’t the MVP-winning superstar of the past, but even the 2025 version of him might be the best quarterback Arthur Smith has ever coached.

And given the Steelers offensive coordinator’s recent comments, Smith seems thrilled to have Rodgers in the fold for the upcoming season.

Who do you think is the best quarterback Arthur Smith has worked with? Join the BTSC community and let us know in the comments!