5 Mistakes Pittsburgh Steelers Can't Repeat in 2015 Offseason
Although the season ended in disappointment, the Pittsburgh Steelers are a team on the rise. Mike Tomlin’s team won the AFC North title for the first time since 2010 and could be even better next season.
The key to making a deep postseason run in 2015 will be a strong offseason from Tomlin, Kevin Colbert and the rest of the front office. With every key member of their record-setting offense returning, the Steelers are just a few key pieces on defense away from being a legitimate title contender.
Strong performances in the offseason are one reason why the Steelers are back in contention. Last offseason was no exception, as key additions through free agency and the draft help add depth and youth to the roster. Of course, no move was more important than the transformation of Le’Veon Bell as a running back.
However, the front office was not without its mistakes. Questionable moves in free agency as well as several curious contract decisions not only handicapped the team in 2014, but may have some long-term consequences.
Even with the errors, the arrow is pointing up for the Steelers, and a strong offseason performance could put them in elite company. However, they must avoid the costly mistakes that they made in 2014 to achieve this goal.
From the minor errors that were easy to overcome to the major ones that negatively affected the team, here are five mistakes that the Steelers cannot make again this offseason.
Relying on Aging Veterans
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After years of slowly releasing aging veterans, 2014 appeared to be the perfect time to embrace a youth movement on defense. The Steelers missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, and their sack and turnover numbers were down.
Not only did the Steelers not go young, but they reworked the contracts of Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor and re-signed Brett Keisel and James Harrison.
While Polamalu and Taylor struggled in coverage, Keisel and Harrison proved to be two of the best defenders on the team. Their veteran presence helped stabilize a young defense, but it also meant that the defense was once again leaning on players who were closer to retirement than to their prime.
As valuable as these four players were in their prime, it is finally time to move on and find young players to step in as starters and for depth. Under new defensive coordinator Keith Butler, the structure of the defense will remain the same, but it will have a fresh approach.
The Steelers should take a fresh approach to how they develop their defensive scheme, as well as with their personnel. Colbert must find quality talent to fill out the defensive depth chart that doesn’t require him to have his long-time veterans on speed dial.
Drafting a Luxury Player Early
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Dri Archer is not a bust—at least not yet. But that does not mean that we cannot question the Steelers’ decision to draft him in the third round.
Archer was the fastest man in the 2014 draft, and Colbert had high expectations for him, via Scott Brown of ESPN.com. "In my mind, return guys are starters," Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said. "His kick-return ability is unique. It really is special. Whatever he can add to us offensively, we see some value there."
Tomlin was equally as excited.
"This is a guy that is going to create some unique opportunities for us from a package standpoint in terms of him getting identified," Tomlin said. "Is he a running back? Is he a wideout? Regardless of position, I think he’s a playmaker. He's a guy that gets yards in chunks and rings up the scoreboard."
Or not.
In 12 games, Archer returned nine kicks for 161 yards and touched the ball 17 times on offense for 63 yards. He was not quite the electric playmaker that the Steelers envisioned when they drafted him.
Archer has plenty of time to develop, but his lack of size (5'8", 173 lbs) was evident, and he was never able to display his straight-line speed. Both are valid reasons for concern, even in the early stages of his career.
That is not to say that Archer was a bad draft selection. The third day of the draft is the perfect time to take a chance on a player with world-class speed who could contribute. The problem is Pittsburgh drafted him in the third round.
Call it what you want, but this qualifies as an arrogant move for a team with so many problems on defense. Archer is a luxury player who was drafted too high. He may eventually develop into a fine situational player, but it was not a good use of a third-round draft pick by the Steelers.
They must do better in 2015.
Quantity over Quality in Free Agency
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Last offseason, the Steelers went out of character when they took an active approach to free agency. There were some quality depth players—such as Arthur Moats and Brice McCain—added to the mix, but overall, it was an underwhelming free-agent class.
Cam Thomas was ineffective in the starting lineup. Lance Moore only had 14 receptions. LeGarrette Blount didn’t even finish the season in Pittsburgh.
The crown gem of the signings—Mike Mitchell—was a target of criticism for his boneheaded penalties and inability to stop the big play. Was this really the best that the Steelers could do in free agency?
Sure, they added plenty of depth, but how many players were worth it, and how many will be with the team beyond 2014? It is possible that only Mitchell will survive more than one year in Pittsburgh—though, the team will try to bring back Moats and McCain.
When only two players out of a free-agent class left a positive impression, one can be argue that the Steelers made poor use of their free-agency dollars. Colbert must be shrewder with his spending this offseason and look for quality as opposed to quantity.
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Overspending Due to Need
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Historically, the Steelers have locked up their young talent before they hit free agency. Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown are two examples who helped become the backbone of the franchise. But it doesn’t always work out so well.
LaMarr Woodley was poised to develop into one of the best defenders in the league, but injuries overtook his talent, and the Steelers swallowed a big cap hit to release him. While this contract ended up being a mistake, they have not altered their approach to re-signing their young talent.
Last season, they negotiated new contracts with Maurkice Pouncey, Marcus Gilbert and Cortez Allen.
Pouncey is the leader of the offensive line, and it was only a matter of time before his deal got done. Gilbert has struggled at times but has proved to be a capable option at right tackle. Allen was more of a question mark.
With all of the physical tools that you could ask for in a cornerback, Allen had yet to establish himself as a legitimate starting cornerback. That did not stop the Steelers from handing him a five-year contract worth $26 million.
That was a lot of money to sit on the bench this season, but their lack of options at cornerback forced the issue. Rather than risk losing Allen, they made the move a year early and will now have to hope that he can regain his confidence and lock down a starting job.
The Steelers may be in a similar situation this year with Jason Worilds. Jarvis Jones is the only outside linebacker under contract, which mean that Colbert may feel pressured to overpay for Worilds to keep an experienced linebacker in town. Team president Art Rooney II hopes to re-sign him, per Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Re-signing Worilds is not a bad option, but overpaying a linebacker who has never had more than eight sacks in a season is. If the Steelers keep Worilds, it must be at their price, not one that pays him as if he is one of the best pass-rushers in the league.
Fail to Address Cornerback
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Year after year, the Steelers have had a need to upgrade at cornerback, yet they continue to ignore the position early in the draft. They haven’t selected a cornerback in the first round since Chad Scott in 1997 and have only selected two in the second round since then.
This would not be a problem if the late-round draft picks developed into starter-quality cornerbacks, but that hasn’t worked out. The Steelers have waited long enough, and it is time that they invest in a corner on Day 1 or 2 of the draft.
Unlike an outside linebacker—a position noticeably absent from this list of offseason mistakes—rookie cornerbacks can come in and contribute right away. That doesn’t mean they have to start, but they can contribute in nickel or dime packages.
The emphasis on passing in the NFL means that defenses must get to the quarterback and have a talented defensive backfield to lock in on the receivers. Fixing the pass rush in one offseason is a daunting task for the Steelers, but that is not the case at cornerback.
A rejuvenated Allen combined with Gay, McCain and Blake is a formidable group of cornerbacks, but add in a blue-chip rookie and the Steelers will have some serious talent to work with.
Matt Miller of Bleacher Report has 11 cornerbacks ranked in his top 70 overall prospects. The talent is there—especially in the second round—and it is now up to the Steelers to finally make the move and address their need at cornerback.
Note: Unless otherwise noted, all stats are courtesy of ESPN.com, all salary information is courtesy of Spotrac.com, and all roster information is courtesy of Steelers.com.
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