In case you haven’t had a chance to check the morning NFL news wire, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is calling it quits:

Tony Romo is leaving football and going into broadcasting, even with Dallas planning to release him today, sources tell @toddarcher and me.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 4, 2017

The news shakes the foundation of the entire league, as several quarterback-needy teams were keeping a close eye on the situation in Dallas.

That situation is one where Romo was hurt before last season started and had to be replaced. His backup, Kellen Moore, fractured his fibula during training camp and would also be placed on Injured Reserve. This opened the doors for fourth round draft pick Dak Prescott, who not only “opened” the doors, but kicked them down in the process of leading the Cowboys to an NFC-best 13-3 regular season record and the top-seeded playoff berth in the conference.

With a young, inexpensive quarterback in Prescott, it didn’t take long for rumors to swirl about Romo’s expensive future in Dallas. Based on his contract there was no way the Cowboys could afford to keep Tony as a backup quarterback. Thus, trade rumors began with teams such as the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos potentially showing interest in the veteran QB.

That was all for naught, as those teams weren’t willing to pony up for Romo’s high price (draft or otherwise). With the Cowboys unwilling to relinquish Romo’s contract without compensation, it appeared the quarterback was destined to go nowhere unless one of the parties changed their mind.

And one of them did.

Romo has announced he will retire from football to pursue a career in broadcasting. Several outlets have reported he has offers from the likes of CBS and FOX.

So how does that news impact the Steelers?

For one, teams that were poking around to acquire the Dallas quarterback now have to look elsewhere. There are still other free-agent quarterbacks on the market (such as Jay Cutler and Colin Kaepernick) but I would surmise if those franchises valued the other passers available, they may have signed them already. (Unless of course, they felt Tomo was a better option.)

If free agency isn’t the answer, then those teams will shift their attention to the NFL Draft later this month. I wouldn’t expect the Denver Broncos, who have last year’s starter Trevor Siemian and 2016 first round draft pick Paxton Lynch on the roster, to draft another quarterback. (At least not early on.)

The Houston Texans, however, are in a pinch. Tom Savage, their expected starter at this time, is in the final year of his rookie contract. It’s all but expected that the team will attempt to draft another quarterback. The question is: how early?

The Texans were the favorite to land Romo, and therefore, disrupt draft plans for other teams who could be looking for quarterbacks. The Cleveland Browns, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills are all perennial QB pickers. The San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears are teams with unproven veterans who could toss their hat in the ring for a quarterback too.

And let’s not forget to include teams, such as the Arizona Cardinals and New Orleans Saints, who have aging stars under center and could be looking for their heir apparent.

All of the above would be good, no great, news for the Steelers. A run on quarterbacks in the early rounds of the draft would allow players at other positions to slide down the draft boards when they might otherwise get selected before Pittsburgh has a chance at them. Despite what some feel about drafting a quarterback, the Steelers are in a position right now where that is not a top priority. Therefore, when teams pick players at positions that are not a need for the Steelers, it increases their chances of getting a premium prospect at a position that needs an upgrade.

Therefore we could see some cornerbacks and the draft term “edge rusher” (which pertains to potential defensive end and outside linebacker prospects) move down to Pittsburgh’s picks if those other teams play a game of cat and mouse with one another, inducing an impulse “buy now” mentality which causes quarterbacks to be chosen above their expected draft values.

Not to be outdone, the Steelers are also part of this same cat and mouse game too. They have been attending pro days for various quarterback prospects and inviting others to official team visits, all on the speculation of an eventual Ben Roethlisberger retirement. Whether Big Ben also calls it quits like Romo is the subject of deliberation: but the news makes other teams wonder if the Steelers will too go after a passer during the process.

That too will favor the Steelers as they look to fill several roles come April 27th.