Steelers’ Tomlin eager to see Big Ben’s comeback

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin knows his quarterback has a long way to go to return from right elbow surgery but figures Ben Roethlisberger will be ready when the 2020 regular season opens. "I have no hesitation, and I base that opinion on my experience and relationship with him and being around him for the number of years that I have," Tomlin said Monday of Roethlisberger on ESPN's First Take. "This guy is the ultimate competitor. He's dropped the gauntlet down, he's made a statement that he's coming back and I look forward to watching him answer that challenge."

Roethlisberger, who will turn 38 on March 2, underwent surgery on Sept. 23 to repair the season-ending injury he sustained in a Week 2 game against the Seattle Seahawks. He has a checkup scheduled for Friday in Los Angeles. Though Roethlisberger's rehabilitation will be a painstakingly slow process, Tomlin likes what he sees of his veteran QB.

"Man, he looks great, but he's not doing anything," Tomlin said. "He looks awesome, man, but he hasn't been asked to do anything as it pertains to his rehabilitation. The process day-to-day is going great but we're not at a significant crossroad and it's going to be a number of days before we are." That falls in line with what general manager Kevin Colbert said last week.

"All signs are good at this point, and where that goes, we're hopeful he can make a complete recovery," Colbert said. Earlier in February, team owner Art Rooney II also expressed optimism regarding Ben Ben's return.

"We look forward to him continuing to improve as we work into the spring here," Rooney said on the team's website. Roethlisberger completed 56.5 percent of his passes for 351 yards with no touchdown passes and one interception in two games last season.

The 16-year veteran has thrown for 56,545 yards with 363 touchdown passes and 191 interceptions in 218 games (216 starts). Roethlisberger guided the Steelers to Super Bowl titles after the 2005 and 2008 seasons, and he made another Super Bowl appearance after the 2010 campaign.

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