The days of backing up Ben Roethlisberger with old-as-the-sea signal-callers has come to an end.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Wednesday that the Pittsburgh Steelers have agreed to a three-year contract with quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, who spent the past two seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelerslater confirmed they had signed Gradkowski, who's a Pittsburgh native, but didn't release terms.
Free-agent tracker
Where will Greg Jennings wind up? Follow him and all the other NFL players on the move in our free-agent tracker. More ...
Gradkowski is no savior, but he looms as a better option than Charlie Batch and Byron Leftwich, the ancient quarterbacks (at a combined 71 years old) who toiled behind Big Ben in recent years. Gradkowski barely played in Cincinnati because of the emergence of Andy Dalton, but he was 3-5 in eight starts for the Oakland Raiders from 2009 to 2010.
It's a smart signing by Pittsburgh. Roethlisberger has been battered in recent years, and the Steelers need more security behind him. Besides, Gradkowski -- already 30 -- might not be the last quarterback added. General manager Kevin Colbert is on record saying the Steelersmight look to the draft to add a young arm.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
