Art Rooney II’s pronouncement following the 2015 season that the Steelers needed to improve their secondary was clear and unequivocal. Undoubtedly Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert already knew that, but there’s nothing like getting reinforcement from the top to ensure a sense of urgency.
The decision the Colbert and Tomlin make on Steelers free agent Will Allen will speak volumes about how the Steelers translate that urgency into action.
Capsule Profile of Will Allen Career with the Steelers
Let’s play a game. I say “Steelers safety Will Allen” and you say the first word that comes to mind.
- How about “indispensable afterthought?”
That might sound like an oxymoron but it accurately describes the role that Will Allen has played since arriving as “the other” free agent in 2010 on the heels of Larry Foote and Antwan Randel El’s return. The Steelers signed Allen, arguable as insurance in case Ryan Clark walked (that’s how it looked, solid reporting disputed that however.)
- Then the Steelers promptly forgot Will Allen.
Ryan Mundy was Mike Tomlin’s “next man up” when ever Troy Polamalu or Clark needed to come out, and Tomlin stuck to that plan during all of 2010, 2011, and through the Steelers 2012 loss at Oakland’s black hole. That lose got Allen into the Steeelers line up.
While Allen helped improve their defense, the Steelers let him go as a free agent in 2013, only to bring him back in after Dallas cut him. Allen again helped stabilize the Steelers defense, as the stability he provided can at the expense of getting Shamarko Thomas snaps.
- Allen was back in 2014, and while it feels disrespectful to write this, the Steelers defense was better with him in and Polamalu on the bench.
Still, the Steelers waited until Polamalu retired to resign Allen for 2015. But as always, the thinking was that Allen would back up Shamarko Thomas. Of course, Shamarko Thomas got benched, Will Allen started for the Steelers at safety.
The Case for Steelers Keeping Will Allen
In four straight years, Will Allen’s role was projected to play a secondary role in the Steelers defensive backfield, and in four straight seasons circumstances forced Allen to do more than expected and each time he delivered.
- That’s a nice track record for someone who did little more than sit on the bench for two seasons.
When the history of Pittsburgh Steelers safeties is written, no one’s going to confuse Will Allen with Donnie Shell, Mike Wagner, Glen Edwards, Carnell Lake, or even Darren Perry. But Allen has provided consistent, competent play at a critical position and is a good man to have on your team.
The Case Against Steelers Keeping Will Allen
Will Allen is going to be 34 in 2016, and while his play was solid in 2015, he did begin to show signs of losing a step. And the Steeler secondary cannot afford to lose many steps. In some ways, Will Allen’s career arch with the Steelers mirrors that of Max Starks.
- He’s a player the Steelers have wanted to move on from, but have never been able to do so.
The analogy isn’t perfect, but it makes a lot of sense. At some point management has to decide enough is enough and commit to moving on. The Steelers did it in 2013, even though Mike Adams was clearly in over his head at left tackle. There were certain growing pains, but by the end of 2013 Kelvin Beachum had silenced the calls to bring back Max Starks one more time.
- And so it must be with Will Allen.
Will Allen has been one of the Steelers most underrated and under appreciated free agent pickups. He’s provided dependable depth and done all that has been asked of him. But it is time for the Steelers to move on.
Curtain’s Call on Steelers and Will Allen
Does Will Allen even want to come back and continue playing? Will Allen considered retiring after 2014, and had to be talked into returning, if Dale Lolley is correct. If he does want to play, then the Steelers can consider bringing him back, but resigning Robert Golden and finding a younger safety in the draft take prority.
If the Steelers think that Will Allen has one more season of football left in him, and Mike Tomlin, Keith Butler, and Carnell Lake are far more qualified to make that decision than yours truly, then they can do what they’ve always done – plan to fall back on Will Allen if their other plans don’t pan out.
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