PITTSBURGH — The Steelers' plan for life after Ben Roethlisberger is now a topic for the history books — and it's not the kind of history anybody would want to repeat.

We can now study it the way we'd study Napoleon's invasion of Russia and likely reach a similar conclusion — that it was an arrogant, ill-conceived, ill-executed disaster of breathtaking proportions.

After all these years of strategizing for a post-Ben world, all these years of expending multiple high picks on offense and bringing in a cutting-edge coordinator (or so they hoped), and then a tried-and-true one (or so they thought), the Steelers just completed a season in which they did not score a single touchdown on an opening drive, finished 29th in red-zone scoring, rushed for 29 yards in another blowout playoff loss and again failed to find their next franchise quarterback.

We could quibble about when their plan was enacted. It's pretty clear from here that it was 2018, when the Steelers turned their eye toward replacing the then-36-year-old Roethlisberger.

Hindsight tells us they went into the draft looking for an early-round quarterback they could groom. Unfortunately, and to their eternal regret, they bypassed a kid named Lamar Jackson in the first round (arch-rival Baltimore snagged him with the 32nd pick) and chose a garden-variety safety named Terrell Edmunds.

The Steelers had their eyes on Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph but oddly took his favorite receiver, James Washington, ahead of him with the 60th pick. They then traded up three spots to take Rudolph 76th and famously told the world they'd put a first-round grade on him.

Roethlisberger famously told 93.7 The Fan: "I just don't know how, you know, backing up or being the third guy — who knows where (Rudolph's) going to fall on the depth chart — helps us win right now."

It didn't. At least not anything of significance. And as Ben grew older, the Steelers' plan became clearer, even as it also became clear that Rudolph would never be the guy: They were going to supplement a highly compensated and elite defense (or so they hoped) with a dynamic, young offense (or so they dreamed).

As we know, the defense has rarely lived up to its billing, becoming the first in NFL history to give up at least 40 points in three consecutive playoff games, and the offense ... well, let's tell that story.

From 2020 through this past draft, the Steelers would spend all five of their top picks on offensive players, and in rounds one through three, they'd make 11 of their 16 picks on offense.

Among their choices ...

— They bucked all modern thinking to spend a first-round pick on a running back in 2021, hoping for a home run. They wound up with a singles hitter. It's unlikely Najee Harris will receive a second contract. He's durable, all right, but highly inefficient, averaging just 3.9 yards per carry in his career, a number that drops to 2.77 in the playoffs.

— The Steelers followed the Harris selection that year with another luxury pick. Desperately in need of a center to replace Maurkice Pouncey, they bypassed Creed Humphrey, now the best center in the league, and took a tight end (Pat Freiermuth) who became league average.

How they thought they were in a position of luxury remains a mystery for the archaeologists who someday will pick apart the bones of the Pickett-o-lithic Era.

— Receivers Chase Claypool (first pick, 2020) and George Pickens (52nd overall, 2022) became problematic soon enough. Claypool memorably wondered if music at practice might help the team, to which coach Mike Tomlin memorably replied, "Claypool plays wideout. I'll let him do that. I'll formulate the practice approach. I think that division of labor is appropriate."

Claypool was traded. Pickens might get traded, too. While he has been productive and sometimes spectacular, he also is highly undependable and might not make it to a second contract.

— Tomlin thought he knew what the rest of the league didn't and reached for Kenny Pickett with the 20th overall pick in 2022.

One might have thought the Pickett implosion, combined with the hiring and re-upping of amateur coordinator Matt Canada, would have cost Tomlin his job after last season.

Instead, team president Art Rooney II rewarded him with a longer-than-usual, three-year extension and a pay raise, making him the fifth-highest-paid coach in all of American sports — and then watched him replace Canada with Arthur Smith, who was in some ways worse.

We could go on here. We could talk about how the Steelers dumped millions into a tackle (Chuks Okorafor) who didn't really like football and addressed their center dilemma by drafting an undersized guard from Illinois (Kendrick Green) who didn't really like center.

We could talk about Anthony McFarland Jr.

We could discuss how the Steelers have drafted loads of linemen only to still have a leaky line featuring two tackles who combined to give up the most sacks of any tackles in the NFL this season (although they did finally find their center in Zach Frazier).

But those are all just lessons now, as we likely say goodbye to Harris and Dan Moore Jr. and maybe Pickens and maybe even Artie Smith, who somehow might become a head coach again. We have long since bid farewell to Canada, Pickett, Rudolph, Claypool, James Washington and others.

Do you know what the craziest story of all might be?

The best offensive player — relative to his peers — that the Steelers drafted in the past six years might have been guard Kevin Dotson. Only he didn't establish himself as such here.

No, the Steelers mismanaged Dotson and played him on the wrong side of the line, then traded him to the Rams for low-round picks and watched him become a high-impact player worthy of a $48 million contract.

Dotson might get his own chapter in the history books.

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