5 Mistakes the Steelers Can't Afford to Make This Offseason

The Pittsburgh Steelers front office has some big decisions this offseason. Even after a successful 11-5 season and a return to the playoffs, the team has a lot of work to do in order to remain competitive in the AFC. With teams like the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals nipping at their heels in the AFC North, the Steelers cannot afford any mistakes.

Whether it has to do with potential free agents or future draft picks, this offseason will mark a turning point. There’s a possibility that the Steelers front office is going to jettison some aging players, and how Pittsburgh replaces them will determine the direction of this team for the next few seasons.

Here are the five mistakes that the Steelers must avoid this offseason.

Failing to Extend Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger

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2015 marks the final year of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s current contract. His last deal was worth $87.986 million, and the 11-year starter has earned every penny. 2014 marked a career high in passing yards (4,952) and passing touchdowns (32), and he finished with an outstanding quarterback rating of 103.3.

And Roethlisberger’s timing was impeccable; he should be able to parlay his career season into a huge contract extension. Now, I don’t profess to be a salary-cap expert, but it seems that every season the Steelers walk a fine line when it comes to how much money they have to spend. They rarely delve deep into free agency but aren’t afraid to pay their veterans.

By whatever means necessary, Pittsburgh must manipulate the salary cap in order to sign Big Ben before the start of the season. Roethlisberger, running back Le’Veon Bell and wide receiver Antonio Brown form the most productive trio in the NFL. Brown and Bell are locked in, and this team will go exactly as far as the quarterback will take it.

Passing on Outside Linebacker and Cornerback Early in the Draft

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There is a great deal of precedent to support the notion that the Steelers will draft neither a cornerback nor an outside linebacker in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft. However, the evidence is different for each one.

Pittsburgh has committed a first-round pick on a linebacker each of the past two years. The Steelers drafted Jarvis Jones in the first round in 2014 and Ryan Shazier in 2014. Granted, Shazier was drafted to play inside, but regardless that makes three first-round picks along the linebacker corps including Lawrence Timmons. This could make general manager Kevin Colbert tentative about spending yet another top pick on a pass-rushing outside linebacker.

As far as cornerbacks go, it is all about history. Pittsburgh spent back-to-back second-round picks on cornerbacks in 2004 (Ricardo Colclough) and 2005 (Bryant McFadden), both of which turned out to be colossal flops. If you want a first-round cornerback, you have to hop in your DeLorean and get that baby up to 88 miles per hour. The last time the Steelers spent a first-round pick on a cornerback was in 1997 when they drafted Chad Scott.

However, Colbert has to throw all that out the window. These are the greatest positions of need, and not only should the Steelers commit their first two picks to them, but they should come back around on the third day and draft another player at each position.

Signing Jason Worilds to a Big New Contract

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The situation at outside linebacker is dire. The only outside linebacker currently under contract with any production at all is Jarvis Jones, and he is still very much a work in progress. There is hope that the Steelers can re-sign outside linebacker Arthur Moats to a fiscally responsible contract, but his fit as a pass-rusher is still limited.

That means Pittsburgh is going to be tempted to throw a bunch of money at free-agent outside linebacker Jason Worilds. There’s no doubt he has been the best linebacker on the roster the past two seasons with 15.5 sacks, which leads the team over that stretch. 

But they just can’t overpay him. If Worilds is willing to take a lower offer in order to stay in a spot that is stable and where he’s assured a starting spot, then by all means, welcome back, Jason. However, I have a funny feeling that Worilds' value on the open market is going to be high. More and more teams are finding their way to a 3-4 defense, and so guys like him are in demand.

Keeping Troy Polamalu Under His Current Contract

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

It’s never easy to think about the end of an era. Safety Troy Polamalu has been the face of the Steelers defense for the past 12 seasons. His 2010 season was one of the best all-around seasons in franchise history. Polamalu generates highlight-reel plays every week and finished that season with 63 tackles and seven interceptions.

Nevertheless, the Steelers cannot live in the past. Polamalu’s skills are diminishing, and his contract is exorbitant. His projected cap hit for 2015 is $8.25 million, with only Roethlisberger, Brown and Timmons making more.

I am all for a player staying around and playing as long as he chooses. Even if his skills are in decline, it is all about whether the market is willing to pay him what he wants. And when you consider that Polamalu has always exhibited serious loyalty to the Steelers, I fully expect him to take a cut in pay, should he choose to return for another season.

Not Drafting a Running Back

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If the Steelers coaches believe that they can go into 2015 with this group of running backs, then they are nuts. Every Steelers fan has that image of running back Le’Veon Bell taking that hit on the knee from Cincinnati Bengals safety Reggie Nelson. That one play was the end of the Steelers season, even if they still had one more game to play.

The combination of Ben Tate, Dri Archer and Josh Harris made a valiant effort against the Baltimore Ravens, but they didn’t have enough talent combined to keep the Ravens defense honest.

Fortunately, all is not lost. The 2015 running back class is shaping up to be one of the deepest in a long time. This means Pittsburgh should be able to use a middle-round pick to steal some real talent. If a player like Northern Iowa’s David Johnson or USC’s Buck Allen is on the board in the fourth round, Pittsburgh should strike.

Here are some of the recent fourth-round picks by Pittsburgh: quarterback Landry Jones, safety Shamarko Thomas, defensive tackle Alameda Ta’amu, cornerback Cortez Allen and defensive end Thad Gibson. Other than wide receiver Martavis Bryant, the fourth round of the past few drafts has been mediocre for the Steelers. Selecting a running back in this class would go a long way toward bucking that trend.

All player data courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference. Salary-cap information provided by OverTheCap.com.