The Pittsburgh Steelers are not splash players in free agency. Sure, the franchise used free agency to secure the services of future Hall of Famers such as Kevin Greene and fixture starters like Ryan Clark, but the Pittsburgh has never put itself into contention for the off season Lombardi.
- Indeed, the Steelers most recent high profile free agent signings of Mike Mitchell and Ladarius Green haven’t gone as expected.
But most Steelers free agent signing headlines are more likely to elicit a “Who?” opposed to an, “Yes! We got him!” from fans. So, from that perspective, Arthur Moats in many ways has been a typical Steelers free agent signing, which speaks well of both him and the team. And as Moats reaches free agency again, it will be interesting to see if the Steelers offer him a third contract.
Arthur Moats strip sacks Andy Dalton. Photo Credit: Matt Freed, Post-Gazette
Capsule Profile of Arthur Moats Steelers Career
Arthur Moats joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2013 during a time of turmoil at outside linebacker.
After ending 3 straight seasons on injured reserve, the Steelers had parted ways with LaMarr Woodley. Jason Worilds had finally seemed to hit his stride, posting a good although not great year, prompting Pittsburgh to transition tag him. While Jarvis Jones rookie year had provided a mixed bag, the latest done jersey number 95 still had legitimate “upside.”
- Not withstanding that, James Harrison’s stint in Cincinnati ended, leading to immediate speculation that James Harrison might return to the Steelers.
So it came as a bit of a surprise, when at the end of March, the Steelers signed Arthur Moats from the Buffalo Bills. The move to bring in Arthur Moats delivered almost immediate dividends, as Moats recorded a sack in relief of Jarvis Jones in the Steelers win over Carolina. Moats forced a critical fumble in the Steelers November win over the Ravens, and also downed Joe Flacco.
- Then, in a key December showdown against Cincinnati, Moats sacked Andy Dalton twice, and forced and recovered a fumble that set up the Steelers go ahead touchdown.
In 2015 the Steelers drafted Bud Dupree, but Bud Dupree’s arrival didn’t stop Moats from making splash plays, as he recovered a fumble on Cleveland’s first play of the game, setting up a Steelers score. For the season, Moats recorded 4 sacks and recovered two fumbles.
In 2016, Arthur Moats recorded 3.5 sacks and defensed 3 passes while splitting time with Bud Dupree, and finished the season with two sacks against the Browns in the finale. In 2107, Moats saw his playing time drop, as the rotation at outside linebacker ended. Still, he saw action n 14 games, including work at inside linebacker due to injuries to Ryan Shazier and Tyler Matakevich.
The Case for the Steelers Resigning Arthur Moats
Let’s face it, backups don’t move the mercury of fan enthusiasm (save for perhaps DeAngelo Williams.) When you think of great Steelers outside linebackers, you think of Hall of Famers like Jack Ham and Kevin Greene, or intimidating legends like Greg Lloyd, Joey Porter or James Harrison.
- Arthur Moats name’s never going to make that least, nor should it.
But that wasn’t what Arthur Moats was brought to Pittsburgh to do. He was brought to in to be a backup, and the first role of a good backup is to provide stability when the starter is unavailable. Arthur Moats has started 24 of his 62 games in Pittsburgh, and he’s provided solid stability with splash play making ability.
Arthur Moats is just the kind of player you want in the mix behind T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree and Anthony Chickillo. He’s only just turning 30, and he’s not going to cost a lot of money. What’s the wait?
The Case Against the Steelers Resigning Against Arthur Moats
For better (see keeping T.J. Watt in the game) and for worse (see the James Harrison situation), the Steelers ended their outside linebacker rotation in 2017 and there’s been no indication that will change in 2018.
The Steelers have salary cap issues, and while Arthur Moats isn’t going to command serious money from any NFL team, he is someone who deserves to get paid more than the veteran minimum. Depth is nice, but the Steelers have Kion Adams coming off of injured reserve, who could grow into a Moats type role and would do so for a lot less money.
Resigning Arthur Moats would make for a quality feel-good story, but is it a luxry the Steelers can afford?
Curtain’s Call on the Steelers and Arthur Moats
We started by saying that in a lot of ways Arthur Moats is your typical Steelers free agent. His arrival was unheralded, he provided stability and depth in an understudy role and delivered convincingly when called upon.
- In fact, Arthur Moats is kind of a defensive equivalent to Mewelde Moore.
When you say “Championship caliber player” you probably don’t think someone like Mewelde Moore, yet Moore was the unsung hero of the 2008 Steelers season that culminated in Super Bowl XLIII.
When it comes to winning Lombardi Number 7, Arthur Moats’ impact will never equal that of, say, Cam Heyward, but he’s shown the ability to be the “Next man up” when his number is called, and championship rosters require players who fit that role.
If the Steelers are smart, they’ll find a way to bring back Arthur Moats.
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Kion Adams ,ecplosive great potential,plus Chickillo who does a good job on special teams and probably will draft Olb ,like Moats as a person character player,unless they keep10 linebackers see no room,when he had to pkay defense last year,not very good slow reactions does not cover lot ground sorry dont bring back.
Ronald,
I like Kion Adams, if for no other reason that I am a total sucker for underdogs stories (as I wrote last year, perhaps he could be this generations’ Carlos Emmons.) Honestly, we didn’t see much of Moats last year. And I agree that he did not look good playing on the inside which was one of the supposed advantages he offered.
Still, I like what Moats has done when given the opportunity.
No reason for offering apologies for expressing a different view point. Alternative view points, especially ones like yours that are based on fact as opposed knee-jerk reactions are always welcome on this site.
Thanks for contributing Ronald.