Ben Roethlisberger’s decision to get a haircut generated a reaction from Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf and the impetus for the trip to the barber shop was a throwing session with teammates.
Roethlisberger had let his hair and beard grow unfettered as he rehabbed from the right elbow surgery that ended his 2019 season and said he wouldn’t cut it until he could make legit NFL throws again. This week’s developments show that Roethlisberger believes he’s reached that level and wide receiver Ryan Switzer agrees with that assessment after catching the passes.
“Man, he let it rip,” Switzer said, via Mark Kaboly of TheAthletic.com. “There was no restraint, no hesitancy, he was just out there. He has been throwing like that for a while and, in my opinion at least, getting out there on that field for the first time and throwing full-speed routes was refreshing. The control factor was taken out of it. He was out there and he was throwing. Did some off-schedule stuff. No restraints. He threw everything -- across his body. Everything.”
Switzer caught passes from Roethlisberger in February and called the recent throws “leaps and bounds different” from their earlier sessions, which is another sign that Roethlisberger is on track for a return to the lineup once the entire Steelers team can get on the field.