The wait will soon end.
Its been 245 days since the Steelers Hindenburg Rescues the Titanic playoff loss to the Browns and a lot has happened since then. Some of it completely predictable, some of it surprising:
- Ben Roethlisberger took a pay cut
- Perennial All Pro center Maurkice Pouncey has retired
- JuJu Smith-Schuster got his wish to stay in Pittsburgh
- Bud Dupree has found greener pastures in Tennessee
- David DeCastro got cut
- Tyson Alualu opted to leave, then thought better of it, and is staying
- Vince Williams got cut, resigned for less money, and then retired
Through it all, Kevin Colbert managed once again to perform the salary cap equivalent of the Loaves and the Fishes. Thanks to COVID-19 the Steelers were facing their worst salary cap situation since 2012 and 2013, yet Colbert managed to put together a roster on paper that is far stronger than anyone had a right to expect on the lonely January night when Roethlisberger and Pouncey commiserated on the sidelines.
But the time for measuring roster moves on paper has ended and the time for judgement rendered on the gridiron is about to begin.
So what can we expect?
J.J. Watt pressures Ben Roethlisberger in 2014. Photo Credit: Jason Bridge, USA Today
Roethlisberger’s Final Ride Likely a Rough One
Times like these force oneself to channel their inner Jesse Ventura and “Call it as I see it McMahon.” And the truth is that if this is Ben Roethlisberger’s last ride, it looks to be a rough one.
- That’s not the call I want to make, but the one my eyes tell me I have to make.
Why?
First let’s consider what caused the Steeler once promising 2020 season to end in an unmitigated disaster:
- Ben Roethlisberger inability to throw the long ball caught up with him.
- The running game disappeared
- Injuries ravaged the defense, neutering a dominant group
Word is that Ben Roethlisberger has recovered his long ball, but given his limited action in preseason we’ll simply have to wait to see if that comes true. The Steelers dumped Randy Fichtner and replaced him with Matt Canada, which should help. As for the defense and injuries, well let’s get to that.
When salary cap Armageddon loomed, the chief concerns for the Steelers were:
Can they preserve their pass rush?
Can they field a competitive secondary?
Can they rebuild the offensive line?
Let’s see where the Steelers stand on the eve of the 2021 season.
Pass Rush
So the Steelers lost Bud Dupree, but still have Alex Highsmith, resigned T.J. Watt and added Melvin Ingram. So, on paper that’s perhaps a net positive. However, Stephon Tuitt, who accounted for 11 sacks is beginning the season on injured reserve. And Tyson Alualu is also injured.
The Steelers should field a strong pass rush this year, but its doubtful they can field a better one.
Secondary
After years of being a liability, the Steelers secondary was finally a strength during the 2019 and 2020. Yet going into the 2021 off season, everyone expected a salary cap casualty to come out of the defensive backfield.
- But few expected that casualty to be Steven Nelson instead of Joe Haden.
The Steelers plan was to go with Haden, Cameron Sutton, and James Pierre with Joe Haden and Antoine Brooks pushing as the 4th corner. Justin Layne got arrested and Brook got hurt. The Steelers sallied on during preseason, mixing and matching various configurations of their cornerbacks. Their final decision? They traded yet another draft pick for Ahkello Witherspoon.
Offensive Line
Let’s say this. No one can accuse the Steelers of standing pat on the offensive line. When the Steelers open against the Bills, Kelvin Dotson will be the only player working in the same place he was last season against the Giants.
- But does change equal improvement?
That’s the bigger question. What isn’t a question is that this is another situation that did not evolve according to plan. Mike Tomlin’s idea was to start is experienced tackles Zach Banner and Chukwuma Okorafor on the right and left sides. But Banner got hurt and left tackle proved to be too much for Okorafor.
Dan Moore’s performance has elicited nothing but positive commentary since he was drafted in the third round, but rookies starting a left tackle in the NFL are rare.
As it stands, on opening day the Steelers will start 2 rookies on offensive line, one sophomore who literally looks like a “rising sophomore,” a veteran who was unemployed in late June and veteran who is back at right tackle after not being able to cut it on the left side.
It might work. But would you bet your 401(k) balance on it?
Wimp Out Disclaimer
After writing 753 of gloom and doom its now time for the “Wimp Out Disclaimer.”
The red and yellow flag flying above the Steelers offensive line, secondary and pass rush are real but so has Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin’s reaction to them. When it became clear that Banner’s injury issues weren’t going away and Okorafor struggled, the Steelers started working Dan Moore into the line up.
The first thought here was that Mike Tomlin was planning to use Moore the way he used Kelvin Beachum in 2013, roating him in on both sides to push both starters. But Tomlin didn’t do that. He made the change immediately.
You can see a similar pattern elsewhere, from signing Melvin Ingram, to trading for Joe Schobert, to trading for Witherspoon.
The fact that the Steelers brass felt they needed to make these moves is worrisome, but their willingness to act decisively is encouraging.
