The Pittsburgh Steelers have not had a single losing season over the past 18 years under head coach Mike Tomlin. But interestingly, the team has won only one championship since Tomlin took over in 2007. Pittsburgh’s last Lombardi Trophy came in 2009, when they beat the Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. Since then, it’s been a long drought. And, former Steelers safety Ryan Clark believes that the drought is going to continue this year as well.

He made it clear during a recent episode of ESPN’s Playoff Payoff. On the show, one of the panelists asked Ryan and Stephen A. Smith who they think is more likely to make the playoffs: the Cowboys or the Steelers? Well, the former safety did not mince his words, directly saying that it would be Jerry Jones‘ team. “Unfortunately, it’s the Cowboys, and I hate to say it. But you’re looking at the Cowboys who have a Dak Prescott,” he said. To back it up, Ryan Clark points to the Cowboys’ draft selections this year. “Cowboys who’ve bolstered their running game going out in free agency and getting backs. The Cowboys, who, to me, had a high-quality NFL Draft in 2025.“

Dallas made nine draft selections, striking a balanced mix between offensive and defensive positions. On the offensive line, they made four picks, while on the defensive side, they added five fresh college talents.

Pittsburgh had seven picks in the 2025 draft. Mike Tomlin and the Steelers’ brass focused more on the defensive side of the ball. Despite needing an offensive line, the team went defense-heavy, picking five defensive players in their seven rounds. For their O-line, the Steelers’ brass picked RB Kaleb Johnson in the third round and QB Will Howard in the sixth round as the 185th overall. Analysts were projecting Tomlin and Co. to go for Shedeur Sanders with their first-round pick, but they did not.

Pittsburgh leaving an unfinished business at the QB position is the reason why Ryan thinks they might not make it to the playoffs.

Ryan Clark believes more in Dak Prescott

Say what you want about Dak Prescott, but Ryan Clark isn’t doubting him for a second. The ESPN analyst made it clear that he sees Prescott and the Cowboys as a better playoff bet than the Steelers. And the simple reason for that is that Tomlin’s team does not have a quarterback to rely on. Ryan Clark, with his no-BS approach, made it clear that he would rather put his faith in Prescott than Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph.

“You’re talking about a team that I feel more prepared and more comfortable with saying that they could be successful, saying that they could compete within their division based on the one main factor. That I believe more in Dak Prescott than I believe in Aaron Rodgers, if he does decide to play. And more in Dak Prescott, obviously, than I believe in Mason Rudolph,” stated Ryan. 

The former NFLer believes that Pittsburgh has been an average team for too long. And that’s only because they cannot find a long-term solution for their quarterback crisis. Giving the team’s GM, Omar Khan, his flowers, Clark mentioned that even though Khan’s new approach to building the Steelers’ roster is appreciable, as long as they do not have a strong QB, it would all go to waste. “And it’s only so long you can spin your wheels, continue to be a slightly above-average team, and not address the quarterback position,” said the 45-year-old.

And honestly, Clark’s not wrong. Tomlin’s team has struggled to find a reliable QB ever since Ben Roethlisberger hung up his cleats in 2021. Kenny Pickett couldn’t do it, and sadly, Russ couldn’t get the team a championship either. Tomlin could have developed Justin Fields as the starting QB, but they lost him to the Jets this offseason. So for now, it looks like their crisis at the position is far from solved.

Now, the word on the street is that the Steelers are still hoping Aaron Rodgers might sign with them. If the ex-Jets QB does, their newly drafted QB, Will Howard, might have to sit behind Rodgers for a year. The real question is: if Aaron doesn’t join Pittsburgh, can the team make a deeper playoff run? Or will they continue their drought? Guess only time will tell.