Ben Roethlisberger talked as recently as last season about being a gunslinger and embracing everything that that term implies, letting the ball fly down the field and giving his players an opportunity to go make plays. In reality, the numbers don’t really back that up.
Even going back to his franchise-record season in 2018, when he threw for over 5000 yards and for 34 touchdowns, his average depth of target was among the shallowest in the NFL, and the percentage of his yards gained after the catch among the highest. The story is the same this season, with the main difference being that he isn’t throwing as frequently, largely because he hasn’t had to.