Last offseason, Ben Roethlisberger was rehabbing from elbow surgery on his throwing arm. As such, he was tossing the pigskin a lot to help rebuild strength.
This year, the Pittsburgh Steelers QB is back to a normal routine, giving his arm more rest. As the Steelers opened training camp, Big Ben said his arm felt “fresher” than in 2020.
“At this time last year, I had thrown thousands of footballs trying to be ready for the season,” Roethlisberger said, via the Associated Press. “(Thursday) was the first day I threw a ball since minicamp, other than throwing to my son in the backyard. It feels like more normal of an offseason. I just think that physically I’ll feel better in terms of my arm.”
After missing most of 2019 due to the elbow injury, Roethlisberger returned to throw for 3,803 yards — his fewest when playing at least 15 games since 2008 — with 33 TDs. Partially by design and partly due to his struggles throwing deep, Big Ben averaged just 6.3 yards per attempt, a career-low in seasons in which he played more than two games.
With that fresh arm and a new offense under OC Matt Canada, the Steelers hope Roethlisberger returns to his Pro Bowl ways. The QB admitted that learning the new offense offers a challenge this offseason, but more mental than physical. He noted that he was looking at his wristband “quite a bit” on the first day of camp.
