Biggest Questions Facing Pittsburgh Steelers This Offseason
With only two games to go, there is a buzz in Pittsburgh as the Steelers are in position to make the postseason for the first time since 2011.
Left for dead by many after a 3-3 start to the year, Mike Tomlin has guided his team to six wins in the past eight games and will look to finish the season strong. No game is more important than this week’s, as the Steelers can clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs according to NFL.com.
Even with the postseason in sight, Pittsburgh’s front office will have one eye on the offseason. From personnel moves to the draft, there will be plenty of questions that Kevin Colbert must address once the 2014 season comes to an end.
From the minor moves that will have a limited impact on the roster to franchise-changing decisions, here we will examine the biggest questions that the Steelers must address this offseason.
Which Aging Veterans Will Retire?
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Last offseason, the Steelers spent a lot of effort to make their defense younger and faster. While they achieved those goals, it did not necessarily make it a more talented unit.
Whether it was injuries or lack of depth, the Steelers needed additional help to boost the defense, and they decided to bring back some wily veterans to the roster. Not only did James Harrison and Brett Keisel provide veteran leadership and quality depth, but they were two very important parts of the defense.
Harrison came out of retirement and is tied for third on the team with four sacks. Meanwhile, Keisel was one of the best defensive linemen on the team and had 12 pressures, a sack and an interception prior to suffering a season-ending injury.
The Steelers lack depth at both outside linebacker and defensive end, however at some point, the Steelers will have to find some younger depth.
Harrison already retired once, and odds are that he will retire once again. Keisel is a different story. Scott Brown of ESPN.com reported that Keisel will take his time to make a decision.
Keisel is a team leader and can aid in the development of Stephon Tuitt. Beyond his leadership abilities, he was more productive than Cam Thomas—one of the team’s free-agent signings. He has a place on the team, but coming off an injury and being another year older may mean that he will retire.
Of course, it is impossible to ignore Ike Taylor and Troy Polamalu.
Taylor spent much of the season on the bench with an injury and appears to be in his final year, as the Steelers need to upgrade their talent at cornerback.
Polamalu is a different story. While he does not have the speed or ability in coverage anymore, he is still active near the line of scrimmage and is one of the team’s all-time great players. But even the great players have an expiration date, and Polamalu’s is quickly approaching.
Will Todd Haley and Dick LeBeau Return?
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The Steelers are known for their stability, but even the most stable franchises need change.
Bill Cowher made numerous changes with his coaching staff over the years, including many at the coordinator positions. Since Mike Tomlin arrived in 2007, he has only made one more at coordinator—unless you believe that Bruce Arians retired on his own accord.
Tomlin’s second move could come as early as this offseason, with Dick LeBeau’s defense once again struggling and Todd Haley being in the final year of his contract.
Pittsburgh is in the midst of its worst two-year defensive stretch under LeBeau in both yard and points allowed, per Pro-Football-Reference.com. Has LeBeau lost his touch, or have the Steelers done a poor job addressing the defensive personnel?
It may not matter. Even though LeBeau is one of the most respected coaches in the league, the NFL is a results-oriented business, and the defense is not getting the job done. If LeBeau’s defense no longer works with the talent that he is given, Tomlin may have no choice but to move in a different direction.
However, LeBeau’s tenure with the team and ability to work with so many new pieces may buy him more time to try to regain his place as coach of one of the top defensive units in the league.
Haley, by contrast, has one of the best offenses in the NFL and has the Steelers on pace to set numerous team records, as specified by Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. However, he is in the final year of a three-year contract.
Though it is unlikely that Haley will be on the head-coaching market, stranger things have happened. He has coached the Steelers to the top offense in the league in yards per game, ranking sixth in points per game.
Outside of the team accomplishments, Ben Roethlisberger is having one of the best seasons of his career, and he has helped position Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell as two of the best players in the league at their respective positions.
Continuity is important for the Steelers and their coaching staff, so look for them to keep it together for another year, especially if they make a return to the playoffs.
How Will the Steelers Fix the Issues at Cornerback?
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Many believed that cornerback was the top need as the Steelers entered the 2014 draft. They disagreed.
Pittsburgh waited until the fifth round to select Shaquille Richardson, who didn’t even make the final roster. Maybe the Steelers should have selected one sooner.
Ike Taylor spent much of the season injured. Cortez Allen was benched in favor of Brice McCain. It was not a banner year for Pittsburgh’s secondary.
William Gay is the star of the secondary with three interceptions and three returns for a touchdown, as he was forced from his nickel role and into the starting lineup. Outside of Gay, the Steelers have managed to get by with McCain and Antwon Blake getting a significant amount of snaps.
As they enter the 2015 season, the Steelers are not expected to bring back Taylor, and they will have to give Allen and his big contract another chance to earn a starting job. Do they take a risk and allow Gay, McCain and Blake to battle for a starting position as well?
At some point, the Steelers have to invest in this position, and expect them to do so in the draft. With a large contract in place for Allen, they will not spend a fortune in free agency to sign another cornerback. Instead, they will finally appease fans and analysts by using a high draft pick on a cornerback.
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Who Will Rush the Quarterback?
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Cornerback is the perceived top need for the Steelers, but even the best in the league will struggle in coverage if there is no pass rush.
The fact that defensive end Cameron Heyward leads the team in sacks and 36-year-old James Harrison is only one behind him says all you need to know about Pittsburgh’s pass rush. In case you are still unsure, it is not very good.
It only has 24 sacks this year, which ranks 27th in the league. One of the problems is the lack of production from Jason Worilds—their $9.75-million-dollar left outside linebacker.
Although Worilds has rushed the quarterback fewer times than last season, per Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, he still needed to produce more than 4.5 sacks.
He will be a free agent in 2015, along with Harrison and Arthur Moats, who had four sacks. That leaves Jarvis Jones, who only has three sacks in his career, as the only experienced outside linebacker on the roster.
Despite investing two high draft picks on outside linebackers and three on defensive ends since Tomlin was hired, the Steelers have yet to develop a top pass-rusher—outside of Harrison. That is a concern as they move into the 2014 offseason.
Worilds' price tag is too high for too little production, and he should be allowed to walk. Instead, the Steelers should retain Moats as a spot starter and backup. He can keep the seat warm until a rookie is ready to step into the lineup or share duties with another veteran.
Like the cornerback position, the Steelers look like they will need to select a pass-rusher very early. If they don’t, they will have several options in free agency.
Justin Houston would be a dream scenario but is unlikely to make it to free agency. The Steelers could take a risk on Brian Orakpo or look at a player such as Brandon Graham or Jabaal Sheard. No matter what they do, do not expect them to break the bank.
Without much money to spend, the Steelers will have to go with a stopgap option via free agency and attempt to find a quality player through the draft. Until they upgrade their pass rush, their defense will continue to struggle.
When Will the Steelers Extend Ben Roethlisberger's Contract?
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Art Rooney said that a contract extension would come after the 2014 season, via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com. Well, that time is just about here.
Though the deal is almost a certainty, until it is signed, sealed and delivered, it will be the top question mark for the 2015 offseason.
Any time that a franchise quarterback has his future up in the air, it is a concern. Finalizing a deal will be the top priority for the Steelers, but it will have to be a deal that is fair for both Roethlisberger and the team. By the time it is done, he figures to be one of the top-paid players in the league.
Roethlisberger has backed up the contract talk with his play, as he ranks in the top six in every major passing category, including second in the NFL in passing yards. He has done this by embracing Haley’s offensive scheme and distributing the ball to a plethora of weapons.
As talented as the Steelers are on offense, Roethlisberger remains the driving force and is proving that he still has room to grow and develop as a quarterback.
The Steelers and Roethlisberger will reach a contract extension—probably early in the offseason—that will keep him in Pittsburgh for the rest of his career and address the biggest question that Pittsburgh will face this offseason.
Note: Unless otherwise noted, all stats are courtesy of ESPN.com; all roster and injury information is courtesy of Steelers.com; all contract information is courtesy of Spotrac.com.
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