Tag Archives: Isaiah Buggs

Steelers Report Card for Win over Cowboys – 8-0 ≠ Perfection Edition

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Taken from the grade book of a teacher who hopes his class realizes that 8-0 does not equal perfection, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Eric Ebron, Saivion Smith, Steelers vs Cowboys

Eric Ebron leaps over Saivion Smith for six. Photo Credit: Ronald Martinez, Getty Images via Arizona Sports

Quarterbacks
Ben Roethlisberger struggled, again, for much of the first 30 minutes and was completely ineffective. Then he came alive to lead 3 touchdown drives all while protecting the ball. Roethlisberger remains unable to connect with receivers deep. Mason Rudolph came in at the end of the first half and looked like a QB doing mop up work when more was warranted. Grade: BSteelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
James Conner, Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland all saw action. None of the men were particularly effective rushing the ball, and James Conner’s two catches lost yards. The running backs didn’t get much help rushing the ball, but you’d still like to see more. Grade: C-

Tight Ends
Eric Ebron only caught 3 passes for 22 yards but one of those was for the go ahead touchdown. Vance McDonald caught 1 pass for 2 yards. Grade: B

Wide Receivers
JuJu Smith-Schuster continues to prove his worth with 9 catches for 93 yards and a tough touchdown. James Washington hasn’t been asked to do much this year, but he’s delivered when called upon as he did when scoring the first touchdown. Diontae Johnson had 6 catches for 42 yards. Chase Claypool had 8 catches for 69 yards but slid with the Steelers needed a first down. Grade: B

Offensive Line
On the plus side, Ben Roethlisberger was not sacked and only hit twice, although he got injured on one of those hits. On the negative side, the Cowboys run defense completely smothered the Steelers rushing offense. That created long third downs and forced the Steelers to be one dimensional in the 2nd half. This must not continue. Grade: C-

Cameron Heyward, Cam Heyward, Garrett Gilbert, Steelers vs Cowbosy

Cam Heyward after sacking Garrett Gilbert. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com

Defensive Line
Look at the stats and you’ll see that Cam Heyward only had a half sack and a tackle and a half for a loss. But that sack he split was a monster play that should have ended the game. Stephon Tuitt had four tackles and one for a loss. Isaiah Buggs and 3 tackles and Henry Mondeaux had one that went for a loss. Dallas didn’t run over the Steelers, but they did better than they should have. Grade: B

Linebackers
Robert Spillane had 8 tackles. T.J. Watt might have “only” split half a sack with Heyward, but he had 3 QB hits and batted 3 passes down. Bud Dupree had a tackle and a QB hit. Alex Highsmith continues to see his playing time increase and had 3 tackles and a sack. Dallas had more success converting third downs than they should have. Grade: B

Secondary
The Cowboys made some long completions, but overall Joe Haden, Steven Nelson and Terrell Edmunds had solid games. Cam Sutton forced a fumble. But the real star of the game was Minkah Fitzpatrick, whose fumble recovery set up a field goal and whose interception took at least a field goal off of the board for the Cowboys, while setting up another Steelers field goal – that’s a nine point swing. Which doesn’t even factor in his final pass deflection. Grade: B+

Special Teams
Where to start? The Steelers got suckered on a lateral during a punt return. OK. That’s understandable if not excusable. But Chris Boswell placed the ball exactly where he wanted to and Dallas still got a 64 yard kick return. Now throw in a missed extra point, a missed field goal and a blocked extra point. Easily the worst day ever for a Danny Smith-coached Steelers special teams unit. Grade: F

Mike Tomlin, Chris Boswell, Steelers vs Cowboys

Mike Tomlin and Chris Boswell. Photo Credit: Post-Gazette

Coaching
It is clear that the loss of both Devin Bush and Tyson Alualu is taking its toll on the Steelers defense. Yet Keith Butler continues to scheme to minimize those losses and to adjust during games. While they may be giving up yards, the Steelers defense continues to deliver with big plays at critical moments.

  • Randy Fichtner’s got a different set of challenges.

Outside of Derek Watt, he hasn’t lost any starters, yet he continues to start slowly. The Steelers struggle to establish the run, while the deep ball fails to be a factor. But like Butler, Fichtner continues to make adjustments on the fly, and while the Steelers offense might be “boring” it is putting points on the board when it counts.

  • Credit Mike Tomlin for being smart enough to understand that 8-0 equals not perfection in the NFL.

Being smart enough to realize you don’t know everything is a virtue in life and the NFL and it is one that Tomlin possess. Grade: B

Unsung Hero Award
The “usual suspects” on the Steelers defense made ESPN highlight-reel Splash Plays. And make no mistake about it, those plays were critical to the game’s outcome. But so were bread-and-butter plays turned in down after down, and no one epitomized that more than the defense’s leading tackler who dropped two players for losses, which is why Vince Williams wins the Unsung Hero Award for the win over the Cowboys.

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Steelers Report Card for Win over Ravens: Flunk Multiple Choice, Ace the Essay Edition

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Taken from the grade book of a tardy teacher whose students flunked the multiple choice section but aced the essay part of the exam, here is the Steelers Report Card for the 2020 win over the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

Isaiah Buggs, Lamarr Jackson, Robert Spliane, Steelers vs Ravens

Isaiah Buggs stops Lamarr Jackson at the goal line on 4th down. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger struggled during the first half, completing just four passes, although he protected the ball. In the second half, Ben Roethlisberger did what he does best – freelancing, and led the Steelers on 3 touchdown drives. Finishing the day going 21 of 32 for an economical 182 yards passing and 2 touchdowns. Grade: B+Steelers, Report Card, grades,

Running Backs
James Conner had a tough day, only rushing for 47 yards on 15 carries, and added 3 catches for 13 yards. James Conner did score a critical, go ahead touchdown. Anthony McFarland had 1 carry for 1 yard, but he did well in avoiding a loss. Jaylen Samuels was targeted twice and did not catch a pass. Grade: C

Tight Ends
Eric Ebron only caught 4 passes for 48 yards, which looks pedestrian, but his touchdown was critical to getting the Steelers back into the game. Later, he made two drive-sustaining catches on series that ended with touchdowns. Grade: B

Wide Receivers
Chase Claypool made 5 catches for 42 yards, including a picture perfect route on the final go ahead touchdown. Claypool also fumbled the ball, which is becoming a recurring issue. Ray-Ray McCloud and Diontae Johnson each made 1 catch for 6 yards, but he drew a pass interference penalty on a touchdown drive. James Washington was targeted once and drew a pass interference penalty. Grade: B

Offensive Line
Baltimore sacked Ben Roethlisberger twice and hit him 6 times, but Big Ben seemed under duress less than he would for a typical Ravens game. The line also gave up several tackles for losses and run blocking remains a challenge. Grade: B-

Defensive Line
Stephon Tuitt was a monster, earning AFC Defensive player of the week for his 2 sack 3 tackles for a loss and 3 quarterback hits effort. Cam Heyward had 5 tackles and had to leave the game twice due to injuries. Tyson Alualu left the game early, and was replaced by Isaiah Buggs who struggled against the run early on. But Buggs made good on the penultimate drive of the game, stoning Lamarr Jackson twice, forcing a fumble on his second try. Grade: B

Stephon Tuitt, Lamarr Jackson, Steelers vs Ravens

Stephon Tuitt sacks Lamarr Jackson. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Linebackers
Robert Spillane continues to impress, leading the team in tackles, defensing 2 passes, and making a pick six that was a critical difference maker for the team. Bud Dupree had four tackles and a strip sack that wiped at least 3 points off the board for Baltimore. T.J. Watt “only” had a sack and 5 QB hits. Vince Williams had five tackles and recovered a fumble. Alex Highsmith made a leaping interception to start the 2nd half, which helped turn the game for Pittsburgh. The linebackers had a part in allowing Baltimore’s massive rushing total, but their critical plays at critical moments were essential. Grade: B+

Secondary
Joe Haden had 7 tackles and Steven Nelson had 4, while Cam Sutton and Justin Layne had 2 tackles apiece as did Terrell Edmunds. The real star of the unit was Minkah Fitzpatrick whose pass defense proved once again he was worth every bit of the 1st round pick the Steelers gave up to get him. Grade: B+

Special Teams
Ray-Ray McCloud had a respectable day on kick returns and returned 1 punt for 5 yards. The Ravens kick returns were nothing special, but they did have a 15 yard punt return. Jordan Berry had a spare 42.2 yards per punt, but he did boom off a 48 yard punt and a 56 yard punt. Chris Boswell was perfect on extra points. Grade: B

Coaching
The Ravens have a tough defense that figured to test Pittsburgh’s offense. In the first half, they shut the Steelers down easily. But Randy Fichtner made the necessary half time adjustments. It might not have been the greatest show on turf, but 21 2nd half points on the road after such a rough outing is nothing to sneeze at.

  • The Baltimore Ravens rushed for over 250 yards. Going into the game, teams that do that 215-1-1.Now they’re 215-2-1.

Yardage aside, the Steelers defense limited the Ravens to 7 points in the 2nd half. While its probably more of a credit to the players rather than any scheme or strategy, the Steelers defense stopped Lamarr Jackson at every critical juncture that they had to stop him at.

In the last 8 quarters, the Steelers have gone from orchestrating a blow out in their first two tries, getting blown out in their next four, and rallying in their second 2, coming out victorious. Never at any moment has panic been evident in Pittsburgh’s play. That’s a credit to coach Mike Tomlin. Grade: B

JuJu Smith-Schuster, Steelers vs Ravens

JuJu Smith-Schuster Makes the tough catches against the Ravens. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

Unsung Hero Award
He hasn’t seen the end zone since September and he has yet to post a 100 yard or 10 catch game. That didn’t change against the Ravens, but this player make drive sustaining, combat catch after combat catch and for that JuJu Smith-Schuster wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers win over the Baltimore Ravens.

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Batted Away! Steelers Defeat Ravens 28-24, as Roethlisberger Rally Fuels Comeback

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During the 21st century, Steelers and Ravens have delivered the very best football that the AFC can offer. Proponents of the Tom Brady vs Peyton Manning narrative will protest, but they will be wrong.

  • Steelers vs. Ravens is physical, intense and nasty.
  • Their games ultimately gets decided by who hits the hardest.

The Steelers 28-24 win over the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium lived up to the rivalry’s pedigree. The win improved the Steelers standing to 7-0 alone atop the AFC North. But what’s perhaps most encouraging about the win is that in leading the comeback, the Steelers signal caller showed something that we haven’t seen thus far in 2020.

Minkah Fitzpatrick, Willie Snead, Justin Tucker, Steelers vs Ravens

Minkah Fitzpatrick knocks the ball away from Wille Snead as Justin Tucker lays in the wood. Photo Credit: Patrick Smith, Getty Images via Fansided.com

1st Half: No, A Win over the Ravens Really Couldn’t Come So Easily

The Steelers have already had marquee showdown with an AFC North Rival, the Browns. That game started with a pick six authored by all-world safety Minkah Fitzpatrick 3 plays into Cleveland’s first drive. And so did this one.

This time the hero was unsung inside linebacker Robert Spillane, who took it to the house from 33 yards out with less than a minute elapsed in play.

  • The Steelers pick-six against the Browns signaled a blowout — could history repeat?
Miles Boyken, Vince Williams, Steelers vs Ravens

Miles Boyken smokes Vince Williams for a touchdown. Photo Credit: AP via Tribune-Review

Alas, it would not, and could not.

The Cleveland Browns, as Tony Defeo has pointed out, are a pretenders because they think they can gain respect by demanding it. The Baltimore Ravens are contenders because they know how to earn respect.

  • And during the next 30 minutes the Baltimore Ravens flourished instead of flinching.

Following the lead of Lamarr Jackson, the Ravens did everything that opponents haven’t been able to do to the Steelers thus far in 2020:

  • They converted third downs
  • They stitched together long drives
  • They compiled over 100 yards rushing in a single half
  • They forced the Steelers to punt three times and recovered a Chase Claypool fumble

Sure, the Ravens had their hiccups in the first half. Bud Dupree stripped the ball from LaMarr Jackson when the Ravens were in the Red Zone, but 5 plays and a mere 18 yards later, Jordan Berry was out punting it away for Pittsburgh.

Justin Tucker split the uprights from 51 yards away as time expired to close the first half.  The Ravens held a 17-7 lead over the Steelers, but Baltimore was in full control of the game, and nobody held any illusions to the contrary.

Big Ben Delivers on What He Does Best

The Baltimore Ravens had rendered Ben Roethlisberger ineffective in the first half. The Steelers had logged just 20 plays and pass interference penalties seemed their offense’s most potent weapon. JuJu Smith-Schuster started the Steelers 2nd half off right with a 24 yard catch but, true to form, the Steelers were punting three plays later.

  • One play later rookie Alex Highsmith rebooted the Steelers 2nd half by intercepting Lamarr Jackson.

After a 1 yard James Conner run, Ben Roethlisberger and Eric Ebron hooked up to take advantage of a miscue by former Steeler L.J. Fort for an easy touchdown. Suddenly, the Steelers were only down by 3, contesting control of the game.

  • Ben Roethlisberger has accomplished a lot since his return from 2019’s season-ending elbow surgery.

He’s shown he can still throw the ball with the same zip as before. He’s shown he can adjust his game to focus more on shorter-higher percentage passes. He’s shown that he can eliminate, thus far (and for the rest of the season, God willing,) the “one dumb interception a game” that once seemed obligatory. He’s shown that he can still move in the pocket to make things happen. He’s shown he can take instruction on details like footwork from Matt Canada.

  • But going into Baltimore, he still hadn’t shown whether he could still takeover a game.

During the 2nd half against Baltimore, Mike Tomlin and Randy Fichtner decided to give Ben Roethlisberger a chance to do just that. Ben Roethlisberger just didn’t work out of empty sets. HE didn’t simply run the no hurry up offense and call his own plays. He was MAKING his own plays in the huddle at the line of scrimmage.

Chase Claypool, Steelers vs Ravens 2020

Chase Claypool scores the go ahead touchdown. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune Review

As he told Chris Admanski of the Tribune-Review, “I know everybody says, I do well in playground, backyard football. Today it was in its truest form.” And today at least, playground Ben meant Big Ben at his best as he connected with:

  • Eric Ebron twice
  • James Conner twice
  • Ray-Ray McCloud once
  • Chase Claypool 3 times
  • JuJu Smith-Schuster 5 times

That’s 13 completed passes with just 3 incompletions, along with two pass interference penalties, as Ben Roethlisberger authored two drives that retook the lead twice, setting up an epic, Steelers-Ravens end of game stand.

Defense Delivers for Steelers

Statistically speaking this wasn’t the best day for Keith Butler’s defense. He saw his unit lose Tyson Alualu and Cam Heyward, which can’t have helped as the Ravens ran up over 265 yards on the ground on the legs of J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards. Willie Snead IV added 106 yards and a touchdown through the air in a game that saw the Ravens convert 8 of 15 third downs.

  • And, if this story were being written according to Fantasy Football rules then owners of the Baltimore Ravens would have been happy.

But this tale is being told in Reality Football terms where outcomes are fought out in the trenches instead of spreadsheets. And so it was, with 3:48 left to play the Ravens reached the Steelers Red Zone.

  • On 3rd and 5 Isaiah Buggs stoned LaMarr Jackson who tried to rush it up the middle
  • On 4th and Isaiah Buggs stuffed Jackson again with an assist from Minkah

James Conner and Diontae Johnson did manage to get the Steelers to 3rd and 1, but the Ravens held. Fortunately, Jordan Berry boomed off a 45 yard punt. With no time outs remaining, Lamarr Jackson moved Baltimore 40 yards in 46 seconds, delivering Baltimore to Pittsburgh’s 23.

Here’s what happened next:

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1323013477506666499

Minkah Fitzpatrck and Justin Layne were perfect on the play, as Fitzpatrick pushed the pass from Willie Snead’s hands while Layne drilled him, delivering Pittsburgh’s first 7-0 start since 1978.

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Steelers Draft Carlos Davis in 7th Round to Close 2020 NFL Draft

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The Steelers drafted Carlos Davis in the 7th round of the 2020 NFL Draft, closing the event by added the athletic nose tackle from Nebraska.

Carlos Davis stands at 6-foot-2 and weighs 313-pounds. He comes to Pittsburgh as redshirt senior who played in 46 games for the Cornhuskers over four seasons. During that time, Davis totaled 125 tackles, including 16 behind the line of scrimmage, and 9 1/2 sacks. In 2019, he recorded a career-high four sacks.

While those numbers are impressive, another number is a little more impressive. Carlos Davis was clocked at 4.79 in the 40 yard dash. To put that in perspective, Antoine Brooks, the safety the Steelers drafted in the 6th round, posted 4.64 40 time.

  • Speed isn’t the only athletic attribute that Davis brings to the Steelers. He also excelled in and discus at Nebraska.

As Kevin Colbert explained:

So Carlos at 3-plus, 305, 308, could he play inside at nose? Sure. He doesn’t have the great length to be an end in that scheme, but he also can play as a rush defensive tackle like Javon did on the inside. So I’m sure he will line up on the nose, and in the sub-packages he’ll be an inside rusher.

While reading too much into the significance of a 7th round pick is dangerous, Carlos Davis is clearly a nose tackle cut from a very different mold than say, Casey Hampton.

Carlos Davis, C.J. Beathard

Steelers 2020 7th round pick Carlos Davis sacks C.J. Bethard. Photo Credit: Charlie Neibergall, AP via WKBN.com

Carlos Davis Video Highlights

Through the magic of Google, even 7th round draft picks get their highlight reels. Here is what Carlos Davis put on tape:

Normally the practices squad is a 7th round pick’s most realistic shot at making their NFL dream real. But the good news for Carlos Davis is that the Pittsburgh Steelers will give him a fair shot. That means that Carlos Davis could very well push Daniel McCullers off the roster. But rookie 7 round draft picks rarely play for the Steelers, Kelvin Beachum being the exception.

Look for Isaiah Buggs, Chris Wormley and/or Tyson Alualu to get the snaps alongside Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt. In the meantime, welcome to Steelers Nation Carlos Davis.

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The Steelers, Defensive Line & the 2020 NFL Draft: Pittsburgh’s Needs Go Deeper than Depth

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“Give us a blade of grass to defend, an we’ll defend it.” Mike Tomlin believes in his mantra, and it all begins with the defensive line.

It’s no coincidence that the Steelers win Super Bowls when their defensive lineman feature the NFL’s best. Think Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Casey Hampton and Aaron Smith.

So, does that mean that the Steelers will or should target defensive line in the 2020 NFL Draft given that history, and given that they’ve just lost a starting defensive lineman in free agency? Let’s find out.

Cam Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, Steelers defensive line, Steelers vs Raiders

OAKLAND, CA – DECEMBER 09: Cam Heyward & Stephon Tuitt during the Steelers 2918 loss to the Raiders. Photo credit: W. Henderson, Getty Images via Fan Sided.com

Steelers Defensive Depth Chart Entering the 2020 NFL Draft: The Starter

At age 30, Cam Heyward has delivered everything the franchise hoped he would when they drafted him in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft, a move with Kevin Colbert instantly declared as “historic.” Cam Heyward is coming off a season where he registered 9 sacks, hit the quarterback 23 times, batted down 6 passes and otherwise served as a one-man wrecking crew.

  • The scary thing is that, for the first six games, Cam Heyward might not have been the best defensive lineman on the field.

Stephon Tuitt only played six games in 2019, but he’d already notched 3.5 sacks and 7 QB hits and was routinely blowing up his side of the offensive line. While Tuitt’s injury history must be a concern, if he can return at full health the Steelers will have be best defensive line duo in the league.

Starting nose tackle Javon Hargrave departed in free agency, opening up a slot.

Steelers Defensive Line Depth Chart Entering the 2020 NFL Draft: The Back Ups

While everyone knew the Steelers had zero chance of keeping Javon Hargrave, many commentators were quick to assert that that the Steelers had pretty good defensive line depth.

  • That’s a little puzzling.

The Steelers defensive line depth is decent. In 3 years, Tyson Alualu has shown he is a capable “Next man up,” at either defensive end or nose tackle. But that’s the point. At age 33, this former 10th overall pick has found his niche in the NFL – as a 4th man on a 3 man defensive line.

A quick glance at Buggs’ tape caused this certified draft ignoramus to ask, “Why did he stay on the board so long?” The Steelers do like Buggs, who saw the field in the second half of 2019, but he failed to break the 100 snap count mark.

Daniel McCullers remains on the roster, mainly because he’s the only true nose tackle the team has and because defensive line coach Karl Dunbar sees something in McCullers that most others miss. Still, in his 6th year as a Steeler, McCullers only participated in 12% of the defensive snaps.

  • Finally, the Steelers have Chris Wormley, whom they traded to Baltimore for a 5th round draft pick.

Wromley’s resume from Baltimore in terms of pure number isn’t all that impressive. But he’s also buried on a deep depth chart, and is an immediate upgrade over McCullers, and until he proves himself, Buggs.

The Steelers 2020 Defensive Line Draft Needs

The Steelers are set at defensive end, but nose tackle is a different question. To understand why, look no further than the 2017 playoff debacle against Jacksonville.steelers, draft, needs, priority, 2018 NFL Draft

While most focus on the inadequacies of Ryan Shazier’s replacements, injuries to Hargrave and Alualu forced L.T. Walton to do time at nose tackle, and images of Leonard Fournette gouging the Steelers defense by going straight up the middle are easy to find.

  • Perhaps Isaiah Buggs or Chris Wormley can man that spot in the center of the Steelers defense.

That’s plausible, but neither man is proven. And with no clear starting nose takcle on the roster, the Steelers need at defensive line entering the 2020 NFL Draft must be considered Moderate-High.

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Streaming Moneyball + Trading Places = Steelers Chris Wormley-Javon Hargrave Swap

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First, wherever you’re reading this, it is our sincere wish that you and your family are both healthy and safe. That is far more important than anything and everything else that appears on this blog.

Clearly, the inability to make timely updates to a Steelers blog ranks pretty low when it comes to the disruptions caused by the Coronavirus. Which brings us to Chris Wormley’s addition to the Steelers defensive line.

  • And with Steelers Nation spending its time streaming while on quarantine, a little cinematic twist to the headline only seemed appropriate.
Javon Hargrave, Blake Bortles, Cam Heyward, Steelers vs Jaguars

Javon Hargrave deflects a Blake Bortles pass while Cam Heyward is blatantly held. Photo Credit: Karl Rosner, Steelers.com

To no one’s surprise, the Steelers lost Javon Hargrave in free agency. Hargrave will move to the other side of the state after having signed a $39 million contract with the Philadelphia Eagles that includes $26 million of fully guaranteed money.

The Steelers could have put together a competitive deal along those lines, but only at the expense of losing Bud Dupree.

Since Bud Dupree is on the field for 90% of the Steelers snaps and Javon Hargrave is on for only 63%, you can see why Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin chose Dupree over Hargrave.

Nonetheless, the move left a rather important hole in the middle of the Steelers defensive line. Hargrave had made 52 starts, recorded 10 sacks over the last two years and was clearly a peer alongside Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt.

The Steelers declined to stand pat with Tyson Alualu and Isaiah Buggs and traded their 5th round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft to the Baltimore Ravens for Chris Wormley.

In 3 years with the NFL, Chris Wormely has made just 15 starts and recorded just 2.5 sacks. He’s also made 9 QB hits, or one more than Javon Hargrave made in his 3rd year in the NFL.

  • Considering that both men were 3rd round draft picks, the Steelers certainly seem to come out poorer for the swap.

And if the only movie we were watching here was Trading Places, there’s no question the Steelers would come out on the short end of the stick. But Kevin Colbert is also streaming MoneyBall in tandem, and that pulls two other numbers into this equation: $3,450,000 and $2,133,000.

  • The former is Javon Hargrave’s cap number for 2020, the latter is Chris Wormley’s.

And this of course ignores the fact that the Eagles have already cut Hargrave a check for 11 million and change. Clearly, Javon Hargrave is a better defensive lineman than Chris Wormley.

  • Kevin Colbert, however, is betting that he can get more bang for his salary cap buck out from Chris Wormley than he could out of Hargrave.

Colbert makes these gambles every spring. One of the best examples came in the spring of 2013 when Colbert reasoned that dollar-for-play, he could get more out of William Gay than Keenan Lewis. (He was also expecting big things from Cortez Allen, but that’s another story.)

Lewis had budded into a pass-defending machine in his 4th year in Pittsburgh, and seemed to offer an oasis for a team starved for quality cornerback play. William Gay had gone to Arizona and, like Bryant McFadden before him, was back in Pittsburgh a year later.

  • McFadden’s 2nd stint in the Steel City barely registers on the memory-radar.

Yet, William Gay’s return to Pittsburgh heralded the days of Big Play Willie Gay, where he notched 8 interceptions and 5 pick sixes in 5 seasons. Keenan Allen got paid a lot more money in New Orleans, but only had 1 strong season before injuries derailed his career.

Of course, these MoneyBall gambles don’t always work. The Steelers essentially swapped Al Woods for Cam Thomas in 2013 and their defensive line suffered because of it.

However, if Craig Wolfley assessment of Chris Wormley is on the mark, expect Kevin Colbert to win this bet.

Has Steelers free agency left you scrambling? Click here for our Steelers 2020 Free Agent tracker or click here for all Steelers 2020 free agency focus articles.

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Steelers Free Agent Profile: L.T. Walton (What? He’s Still Around?)

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The image of “The Red Phone” is one that conjures “emergency” in popular culture, wehther you’re watching commissioner Gordon call Wayne Manor or viewing a Cold War epic whose plot centers on use of the Washington-Moscow hotline.

  • The NFL is no different. Every General Manager has a list of emergency players to turn to when disaster strikes.

Kevin Colbert has his list. Sometimes it has involved calling players with no history in Pittsburgh, think Matthew McCrane stepping in for Chris Boswell. Other times he’s turned to familiar faces – think Max Starks at any number of points in his career. In 2020 injuries to Stephon Tuitt forced Kevin Colbert to again to seek a surprise name from his emergency list, that of L.T. Walton.

L.T. Walton, Mike Tomlin

Mike Tomlin embraces L.T. Walton in the Steelers October 2017 win at Baltimore. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla

Capsule Profile of L.T. Walton’s Career with the Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers drafted L.T. Walton in the 6th round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He earned a roster spot, but didn’t play which is no surprise in John Mitchell’s system.

Cam Heyward’s season ending injury in the middle of 2016 opened the door for L.T. Walton to get some playing time, as L.T. Walton saw his snap count rise to 24%. While the dramatic improvement shown by the Steelers defense in the 2nd half of the 2016 season came from James Harrison starting for Jarvis Jones, and stepped up play by Javon Hargrave, Sean Davis and Artie Burns, it would have been possible had L.T. Walton been a liability on the field.

Could L.T. Walton build on that in 2017? His record was mixed, with his snap count dropping, but Walton adding sacks in the Steelers wins over Tennessee and Green Bay. Walton also struggled while playing nose tackle in the playoff debacle against Jacksonville, but no Steelers defender played well that afternoon.

  • In 2018, John Mitchell gave way as defensive line coach to Karl Dunbar, and Karl Dunbar decided to give Daniel McCullers another shot.

And Daniel McCullers’ second shot came at L.T. Walton’s expense as his as his snap count dwindled to below 5%. L.T. Walton hit the free agent market a year ago, and failed to get any attention either inside or outside Pittsburgh.

The Steelers signed him on October 21st after putting Stephon Tuitt on IR, then put L.T. Walton on IR on November 19th without dressing him once.

The Case for the Steelers Signing L.T. Walton

“He knows the system,” is the credo coaches frequently fall back on when signing a journeyman veteran whom they’ve parted ways with in the past. That certainly applies to L.T. Walton. Moreover, with Javon Hargrave set to depart in free agency, and with the Steelers having little depth behind Heyward, Tuitt, Tyson Alualu and Isaiah Buggs and even less draft capital to add that depth, a veteran minimum contract for L.T. Walton seems like a low-risk high reward proposition.

The Case Against the Steelers Resigning L.T. Walton

L.T. Walton is a player who has been in the NFL for four years and played a total of 480 snaps. 255 came when Cam Heyward was out and there was literally no one left to play. He sat on the open market a year ago and no one showed any interest, and managed to get injured after his surprise midseason return despite never even dressing.

Do I need to keep going? Even a veteran minimum contract takes up a roster space that could be used to give a chance to the next Willie Parker, James Harrison or Devlin Hodges. Using it one on L.T. Walton would be a waste.

The Curtain’s Call on L.T. Walton and the Steelers

This has all been an academic exercise, hasn’t it? Because there’s no chance the Steelers resign L.T. Walton. Right?

Probably. But….

Stranger things have happened on the Steelers defensive line during free agency. In 2015 the Steelers resigned Clifton Geathers the emergency defensive lineman signed to replace Brett Keisel. In 2018 the Steelers shocked the world when they resigned Daniel McCullers. Last year they did it again.

With that said, the smart money says that neither the Steelers, nor the rest of the league, give L.T. Walton a second look in free agency this spring.

Has Steelers free agency left you scrambling? Click here for our Steelers 2020 Free Agent tracker or click here for all Steelers 2020 free agency focus articles.

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With Stephon Tuitt on IR, What, If Anything, Does L.T. Walton Bring to the Table?

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The Steelers took a lot of positives and one glaring negative away from their victory over the Chargers. On the positive side:

  • Devin Bush showed that he’s the real deal
  • The offensive line did some serious road grading
  • Benny Snell’s first extensive action made him look like a viable 3rd running back
  • And the defense went toe-to-toe with a Hall of Fame quarterback after weathering multiple injuries

About those injuries. The Steelers suffered several, but losing for the season Stephon Tuitt to a torn pectoral muscle is devastating.

  • You can’t sugar coat this. Stephon Tuitt was budding into his prime, and the injury has stopped him cold.

Stephon Tuitt was in route to an All Pro Season, with 3.5 sacks, 7 QB hits and 6 tackles for losses. That’s an impressive six game stretch. In all of 2018, Tuitt had 5.5 sacks and 7 tackles for losses. But numbers as they often do, fail to capture the full picture. As “jujumojo” on Steel City Insider’s message board observed:

I honestly don’t think I have watched an individual Steeler defensive player dominate to the degree Tuitt has so far this season since probably James Harrison in his 2008-10 prime. Tuitt had simply been manhandling NFL linemen week in, week out.

Losing Stephon Tuitt represents a huge blow to the Steelers defense. But does it doom them for the rest of 2019?

With Tuitt Out, What, If Anything, Does L.T. Walton Bring to the Table?

Reading the head line, “Steelers put Stephon Tuitt on IR, Resign L.T. Walton to take his roster spot” inspires little confidence. Had the Bengals not claimed Fred Johnson off of waivers, one wonders if the Steeler would have even called Walton.

L.T. Walton, Mike Tomlin

Mike Tomlin embraces L.T. Walton in the Steelers October 2017 win at Baltimore. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla

But, this isn’t the first time the Steelers have lost a dominating defensive lineman to a pectoral injury in mid-season. And it happened 3 years ago, and the outlook was bleaker then.

The Dallas Cowboys had just come to Pittsburgh and beaten the Steelers as Ezekiel Elliott scored not one, but two touchdowns in the space of about 1:20. Days later news broke that Cam Heyward was out for the year with a torn peck.

Cam Heyward was defense’s undisputed best player (Ryan Shazier was only just beginning to shed the “bust” label that a minority, as ignorant as it was vocal, of fans had been pinning on him.)

  • All hope seemed lost.

This site titled its article “As Cameron Heyward’s Season Ends – Steelers Nation Collectively Cries: “Game Over!” complete with video of Bill Paxton’s “Game Over! Game Over” clip from Aliens.

Yet, the exact opposite happened. Despite losing its best player, the Steelers defense not only halted their decline, it improved, tremendously. It says here that main factors fueling the turn around were:

But L.T. Walton also helped make that happen. During that final seven game stretch, L.T. Walton played in just under half of the defensive snaps.

The notion of “Stephon Tuitt injured, L.T. Walton to the rescue!” is plain silly. Tyson Alualu is the next man up. Javon Hargrave will undoubtedly see more time. Rookie Isaiah Buggs could conceivably get a helmet over L.T. Walton.

  • After all the Steelers opted not to resign Walton, who was on the Bills’ roster for a bit this summer, but was out of football.

But if L.T. Walton’s return can’t be counted on as a strength, he certainly wasn’t a liability, at least at defensive end (nose tackle is a different story, see the playoff loss to the Jaguars) when he was pressed into action in 2016 and again in 2017.

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