Roethlisberger: 'I'll be ready' when offseason activities resume

Ben Roethlisberger's return to the field this offseason has been postponed, but the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback's recovery remains on schedule.

"Oh, yeah, absolutely," Roethlisberger said Monday when asked whether he'll be ready for training camp, according to Ed Bouchette of The Athletic. "My plan was to be out there doing individuals, doing one-on-one routes during OTAs and minicamps. That obviously is not going to happen. But if I was ready then, I'll be ready when it's time."

The league canceled OTAs and spring workouts, which were scheduled to begin in May, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Roethlisberger underwent season-ending surgery last September after suffering an elbow injury in the second game of the campaign. The 38-year-old resumed throwing activities in February. He said he's using footballs with microchips in his throwing program, allowing him to track data like spin rate, velocity, and spiral efficiency and compare it to data from the Steelers' 2018 training camp.

"I'm throwing it right now, off the numbers and data, probably right around 60%. That’s just me choosing to be at that number," Roethlisberger said. "I know I can let it go and throw, but what's the point - why? There's no reason to throw as hard as I can right now."

He said the cancellation of spring activities allowed an even more cautious approach to his recovery.

"Now that we don't have those (practices), we ... backed up a week," Roethlisberger said. "We said, 'Let's just make sure and slow it down some more and take it even a step slower.' ...

"We're just trying to be smart, and putting the brakes on me a lot because I was kind of 'go, go, go.' You know me, trying to get back out there."

In 2018, Roethlisberger led the league with 5,129 passing yards and tossed a career-high 34 touchdowns. Pittsburgh posted an 8-8 record last season with Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges splitting most of the starts under center.