Stephen A. Smith has message for Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger is banged up heading into Week 3, and Stephen A. Smith believes there is an obvious insurance policy sitting out there for the Pittsburgh Steelers that they have yet to capitalize on.

During Thursday’s edition of ESPN’s “First Take,” Smith said he is baffled that the Steelers have not yet reached out to Cam Newton.

“He can run with the football. Granted, he’s not as mobile as he used to be, but he’s considerably more mobile than Ben Roethlisberger and he’s younger,” Smith said. “So the combination of those two, with Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins as your options, why hasn’t Cam been called already? That’s how I’m looking at it.”

Newton remains a free agent after he was released by the New England Patriots prior to Week 1. As Smith mentioned, the Steelers already have Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins on their roster. Haskins was said to have impressed the team during training camp, but head coach Mike Tomlin had a harsh assessment of him after the final preseason game.

Roethlisberger has played through numerous injuries during his career, and he will likely try to do the same with his pectoral muscle injury.

Newton may not even want to sign with the Steelers if Roethlisberger is going to play. Unless he has an opportunity to start, Newton doesn’t have much financial incentive to play this season.