With Pittsburgh being eliminated from the playoffs, it’s time to take a quick look ahead to the Steelers’ offseason. While it is very early in the process, it’s good to take a cursory look at everything while it’s still fresh in our minds.
I did this same exercise in Week 11. It was after the blowout loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and the team’s second straight loss after the tie to the Lions. Needless to say, it was a low point in the season for Pittsburgh.
The Steelers have more optimism at this point than in November. The team finished 9-7-1 and made it to the playoffs. They even made a game of their Wild Card matchup in the first quarter. They were not able to prevail in the end however, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs.
With the retirement of Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger likely on the way Pittsburgh will have a lot of financial resources to dedicate to their team. That is good considering they have a lot of holes they need to fill.
In addition to cap space they should have seven picks in this year’s draft.
With all that said – let’s get to a way too early Steelers’ offseason primer!
Quarterback
The number one question of the Steelers’ offseason is: Who will play quarterback next year?
In Week 11 my money was on Pittsburgh bringing in a free agent bidding war. While that is still more likely than a marquee trade or a first round pick investment, I’m starting to think an in-house option is more likely. Pittsburgh currently has three quarterbacks in the building not wearing the number seven. Head Coach Mike Tomlin has recently said that two of their current QBs will have a shot at the job.
Mason Rudolph
Mason Rudolph was selected in the third round of the 2018 draft. Pittsburgh signed Rudolph this past offseason to a one-year extension. This secured Rudolph as their backup for another year should Ben play another year, or compete for the starting job should he retire.
Head Coach Mike Tomlin and current General Manager Kevin Colbert have praised Rudolph throughout his career. They clearly have some level of confidence in him since he got the extension.
Dwayne Haskins
Dwayne Haskins was brought to Pittsburgh this offseason and is currently a restricted free agent. This means the team can sign him to a RFA tender (which would be about $3 million) and if another team matches Pittsburgh gets a first round pick. Because of this there is no reason to not bring him back for another year.
His combination of size and arm talent are also traits that make him interesting. As Pittsburgh’s #3 QB this season Haskins stayed out of the spotlight, and was often seen next to Tomlin on the sidelines during games.
Joshua Dobbs
And finally there is Joshua Dobbs. Dobbs was drafted by Pittsburgh in the fourth round of the 2017 draft. On the Injured Reserve list for the season, Dobbs could still be seen on the sidelines during games with a headset and going over plays with Ben. Ben and the team have regularly commended Dobbs on his IQ, professionalism and work ethic.
Dobbs is also the most mobile of the three QBs, something Tomlin has talked a lot about this year in regards to the position.
External Options
There are a lot of quarterbacks that will be looking to switch teams this offseason. I currently have my eye on two for the Steelers should they choose to go that route.
Marcus Mariota of the Las Vegas Raiders has the size, mobility and experience the team could be looking for. Pittsburgh ran a lot of RPOs this year, something Mariota has specialized in since his time at Oregon. His best year in the NFL came in 2016 where he threw 3426 yards, 26 TDs, nine interceptions and had a completion percentage of 61.2%.
The other name is Mitchell Trubisky. Trubisky is also a former number two overall pick with mobility and experience. A four-year starter for the Bears, Trubisky’s best year came in 2018. He threw for 3,223 yards, 24 TDs, 12 interceptions and a completion percentage just under 67%.
Skill Positions
Luckily for Pittsburgh they have a strong core at their skill positions. Running Back Najee Harris and Tight End Pat Freiermuth both had outstanding rookie years. Wide Receivers Dionte Johnson and Chase Claypool will also be back for their fourth and third seasons respectively. Johnson had a Pro Bowl type season, but ended on a sour note with multiple drops in the last few games. Claypool had a disappointing year both from a performance and maturity standpoint.
I have made my case for the team to re-sign JuJu Smith-Schuster. He strengthened that case this week by returning early from his injury for Pittsburgh’s playoff game.
Even if they re-sign JuJu this team is still missing a downfield threat at receiver. For all of Claypool’s athletic traits, he can’t seem to win enough deep on the outside. Pittsburgh should look to add a deep threat at the receiver position, likely through the draft since he wouldn’t start any higher than third on the depth chart.
Offensive Line
This will be the biggest need for the Steelers’ offseason. Unfortunately they started to rebuild this unit in Roethlisberger’s last year. But there’s still time to put a good group together for Harris.
They have the left side in place with Dan Moore Jr. and Kevin Dotson. Moore Jr. took his lumps this year as a rookie, but showed a ton of promise. Considering he was a fourth rounder who came in as the likely fourth tackle on the depth chart, he played well as the Week 1 starter. Dotson is also the most talented lineman on this team, but missed the second half of the season this year with an ankle injury.
Here’s where it gets dicey. Pittsburgh will have to use a combination of cap space and draft investment to fix the rest of the line. Rookie Center Kendrick Green was a huge disappointment this year. And unfortunately he did not show enough to not make another investment at the position. The right side of the line, Trai Turner and Chukwuma Okorafor, are both free agents this year. They were the most consistent of the bunch this year, but Turner is lacking in the quickness and agility of his youth, and Okorafor might’ve played just well enough to price himself out of Pittsburgh.
Right Guard Brandon Scherff is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He should be the top free agent target of the Steelers’ offseason. There are a number of veteran right tackles who are also free agents, but the Steelers might be better going to the draft for that position.
Center Tyler Linderbaum from Iowa should also be at the top of Pittsburgh’s draft board. If they cannot snag him they’ll need to bring in someone to compete with Green for the job. Revamping this offensive line has to be the number one priority of the Steelers’ offseason.
Defensive Line
The defensive line was a mess this year but has hope for the future. The league’s worst run defense certainly starts with those up front, but as we’ll discuss the main fault does not lie with them. That said improvements are necessary.
Luckily those improvements SHOULD come by way of getting healthy. Starters from last year Tyson Alualu and Stephon Tuitt played a combined 57 snaps this year (all from Alualu). Alualu suffered a broken ankle in Week 2, and Tuitt had a mysterious knee injury that kept him out all season.
There is no reason to think Tuitt will not be back next season, and Alualu has stated he also plans to return for his 13th season.
The return of these players will put the depth chart back in order for Pittsburgh. Them being out forced a lot of players to play more snaps than they should. Chris Wormley and Isaiah Buggs went from rotation players in 2020 to starter this year. Isaiahh Loudermilk and Henry Mondeaux should have been reserves but instead were playing meaningful snaps all season.
The return of Alualu and Tuitt, plus the finding of a possible gem in Montravius Adams, should put the defensive line back right. However with the age and injury history of the group, I’m expecting another late-round pick to be used on the position to add some depth.
Edge Rushers
This section will be quick. T.J. Watt should be the defensive player of the year and he is locked up on a long term deal. Alex Highsmith had a good first season as a full time starter, but has room to grow. Pittsburgh however needs to establish a consistent rotational group behind them. Taco Charleton, who took over the third outside linebacker role after the Melvin Ingram trade, is a free agent this offseason.
While they could likely bring him back, having a fourth player who can also play on special teams is a must. That role was being filled by Derrek Tuszka this season. Tuszka we’ll say leaves a lot to be desired defensively. They should look to fill this rotational/special teams role with a mid-round pick to ensure there’s enough talent for them to stick.
This is a role Pittsburgh was not able to replicate this year after Highsmith filled it last season. They drafted Quincy Roche in the sixth round of the 2021 draft and he looked like a steal as a productive pass rusher. But due to his lack of experience as a stand-up pass rusher and on special teams he did not make the roster. Hopefully this year they can find the right match.
Linebacker
This is where Pittsburgh’s last ranked rush defense comes from. Sure you’d like the defensive line to not allow anything passed the line of scrimmage (LOS), but the linebackers were unable to tackle anywhere close to the LOS. What should have been just two to three yard runs were consistently five to seven because the linebackers were either out of position, couldn’t get off of blocks, or just missed the tackle.
Free Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was 18th in the league in combined tackles and ninth in solo tackles. As a free safety! Every player ahead of him was a linebacker. And this isn’t Jamal Adams at the LOS. Fitzpatrick is consistently in center field for the Pittsburgh defense and was routinely making touchdown saving tackles because offensive players were consistently in the third level.
Joe Schobert and Devin Bush were Pittsburgh’s starters for most of the season. Both considered better in pass coverage than stopping the run they had just one interception and 10 passes defended between them. Neither player was effective in coverage, and their inability to make tackles near the LOS consistently hurt the team. Rotational player Robert Spillane is known more for his downhill run stopping, but he is a liability in coverage. Making him unplayable in passing downs.
The inconsistent play despite the investment made at this position is the biggest indictments on this team. Sure the offensive line was bad, but this was a transition year for the group. Defensive line wasn’t great but they were injured. The linebackers included a first round pick Pittsburgh traded up to get, and a veteran they traded for in the offseason.
Linebacker needs to be another top priority for the Steelers’ offseason (notice how the top priorities are stacking up). A big move in free agency, or a pick in the first two rounds, will be necessary to try and improve the position.
Defensive Backs
Another strong year for the pass defense in Pittsburgh, but perhaps that’s because team chose to ran all over them instead. Either way there’s still a lot to like here, but decisions will have to be made. Fitzpatrick, Cameron Sutton, and Tre Norwood will all be back next season. Sutton had an up and down season moving to full-time outside corner, but showed enough to keep the position next year. Norwood, a seventh round rookie, progressed nicely as the year went along. He’s the leader in the clubhouse to be the team’s nickel corner next year.
The other starters, Safety Terrell Edmunds and Cornerback Joe Haden, are both free agents. I’ve made my case for why Pittsburgh should re-sign Edmunds. But Haden I’m not so sure about.
Haden has been great since joining the Steelers in 2017. I remember thinking he was the best free agent to join the team since Jerome Bettis or James Farrior. But next season he’ll be 33, and a lot of his speed seems to be gone.
So what will Pittsburgh do at outside corner? Their draft record is spotty so I would rule out counting on a starter there. Internal options are James Pierre and Justin Layne. Pierre was an undrafted free agent last year and was a camp darling two years in a row. But inconsistent play this year got him benched after Week 12. He didn’t log a single defensive snap after that week. While he could win that role back next year you can’t trust him to not add to the position. Layne, a former third round pick, has never found his footing as a defender. He is however and excellent gunner for special teams.
While I expect this team to look at some late-round defensive backs in the draft, signing a starting outside corner is a must. Ahkello Witherspoon was another gem the team stumbled upon this year who is an unrestricted free agent. Witherspoon was traded to Pittsburgh for a fifth round pick but didn’t consistently see game action until Week 11. By Week 13 he was the team’s full time starter and had three interceptions in seven games.
Pittsburgh will likely try to bring Witherspoon back but depending on the price tag they should look around. New England’s J.C. Jackson is a free agent and likely the top cornerback on the market. Giving him a call is a must, but nabbing a big name like that is unlikely.
Kansas City’s Charvarius Ward also free agents. Ward is one of the league’s best corners. He posted a completion percentage allowed number better than the likes of Xavien Howard, Tre’Davious White and Trevon Diggs. And his missed tackle percentage was tops among starting corners. Ward could be an in-between option at corner if they want to upgrade a bit from Witherspoon, but can’t haul in Jackson.
It doesn’t have to be a big swing, but a quality starting cornerback is another must for the Steelers’ offseason.
Special Teams
Chris Boswell will kick once again, and thank goodness. He’s one of the league’s best kickers and is especially efficient in Heinz Field. While rookie punter Presley Harvin III had an up and down rookie season I expect him back at camp to compete for the job again. Don’t be surprised if Corliss Waitmann is back in camp after having a good couple of games for Pittsburgh this year.
Ray-Ray McCloud had another strong year as the return man. He was the first returner in two straight years for Pittsburgh since the 90s, and I’d expect him back to compete for a three-peat. Pittsburgh could however go another way if they find someone who can return, and bring a little more offensively than McCloud. Thought his effort and production this year were surprising and refreshing.
Coaching
I’m not expecting much change here, and you shouldn’t either. Tomlin will be back. Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada will likely be back. And while Defensive Coordinator Keith Butler seems to be retiring I expect an internal option to take his place.
Fans are calling for Canada’s firing, which is understandable. His season this year was absolutely disappointing. But the team was in transition from an offensive standpoint, so I expect to see him back another year to try and keep some consistency.
Conclusion
Some of these things will change as the Steelers’ offseason goes. Pittsburgh will sign or release players, changing positions of needs. The team could be trade for more picks or trade them away, changing the calculous of the draft. Be sure to keep following the site for all updates on the Steelers’ offseason or any team here at Championship Sports Media!
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