Breaking Down All the New Faces on the 2015 Pittsburgh Steelers
While OTA workouts and minicamps can benefit a team's veterans, the players who really get the most out of them are the new faces. Whether they're rookies or offseason free-agent signings, new players get their first experiences with new coaches, systems and teammates in this period.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, like every other team in the NFL, have a slew of new arrivals working to get acclimated this offseason. Let's take a look at some of those key first-year Steelers and see what their roles may be in 2015.
LB Bud Dupree
1 of 10
The Steelers opted for defense in Round 1 of the 2015 NFL draft, selecting Kentucky's Bud Dupree with the 22nd overall pick. Dupree will be tasked with helping the Steelers improve their sack total, which was just 33 in 2014.
Dupree joins James Harrison, Arthur Moats and Jarvis Jones as the team's primary outside linebackers. And though the year is young, Dupree is already seeing snaps with the first-team defense, a good sign that he will get significant playing time in 2015, if not emerge as a starter by Week 1.
Dupree totaled 247 combined tackles in college, as well as 37 tackles for a loss and 23.5 sacks. He had 12.5 tackles for a loss in 2014 and 7.5 sacks. He's also adapting well to the speed of the game.
He told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, "Everything is starting to click. [My goal is] to show them I know the plays and show them they can trust me. I feel I had a good turnaround on the [playbook]. I've always picked up on things fast."
With Harrison supposedly on a snap count this year, the opportunity is there for Dupree to have a successful rookie season. And given how quick a study he is, it seems inevitable that he will.
CB Senquez Golson
2 of 10
The Steelers secondary was in bad shape this offseason, so it makes sense that the team double-dipped at cornerback in the draft. First up was Senquez Golson, taken in Round 2. Though seemingly undersized, at 5'9", Golson plays far bigger than his height. He totaled 136 combined tackles at Mississippi and had 16 interceptions (10 in 2014) and 19 passes defended.
With William Gay and Cortez Allen getting most of the reps at outside cornerback during OTAs and minicamp, Golson has been adjusting to the slot, where he played sparingly in college.
But Steelers receiver Antonio Brown is already taking notice of Golson. He told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, "Smooth guy, doesn't really say too much. Seems like he's focusing on his business. I'm liking what I'm seeing from him."
Golson told Steelers.com's Mike Prisuta, "Rookie camp went well for me but I just wanted to get out here with the older guys and see how that was going to go. Little faster; everything's starting to slow down, that's a good thing." He said he's mostly been playing "a little second-team nickel, third-team corner and nickel."
In order to crack the starting lineup, Golson will have to outplay either Antwon Blake or Allen, but it's possible that he will. He's already getting praise from the NFL's top receiver, which is a good way to start a career.
WR Sammie Coates
3 of 10
Though the Steelers aren't hard up for receiving talent right now, that doesn't mean they can't plan for the future. That was likely their goal in drafting Sammie Coates in the third round of this year's draft. Coates only had 82 receptions over his three years at Auburn, but had 1,757 yards, an average of 21.4 yards per reception. He's a deep threat, though he's not been the most productive scorer, with just 13 touchdowns.
The real knock against Coates, however, are his drops. But it's been an issue he's focused on fixing this offseason and the results thus far have been impressive.
Tackle Marcus Gilbert, who spoke with ESPN's Jeremy Fowler last month said, "[Coates] looks like he knows how to finish a play with strength, especially in the middle of the field. That's something I noticed."
Coates talked about his preparation and development with Steelers.com's Teresa Varley earlier this month. "I feel like every day there is room to improve your craft. That is what I have been doing, I have been trying to improve my craft every day. I am going to continue to do it," he said.
Coates has been getting help from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, receiver Antonio Brown and other veterans in order to hone his game. Though it may be half a season before he's ready to dress for game day, like Martavis Bryant a year ago, Coates' significant upside means good things could be ahead for him as long as he keeps working.
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CB Doran Grant
4 of 10
The second cornerback the Steelers selected in the 2015 NFL draft, Ohio State's Doran Grant, appears to have a good future ahead of him. However, he doesn't have the same odds of being a starter in his rookie year as fellow cornerback Senquez Golson.
At Ohio State, Grant totaled 146 tackles, 21 passes defended and had nine interceptions, five of which came in 2014. But, as Behind the Steel Curtain's Jeff Hartman pointed out, "Grant as a coverage corner is not quite ready for NFL receivers yet. He is by no stretch of the imagination a lost cause, but when it comes to refined skills he certainly is lacking behind draft classmate Golson in many areas."
This means that Grant's 2015 will likely be spent on the bench during most of the Steelers' defensive snaps, and he'll have to prove himself on special teams as so many other young Steelers defenders must. But that could easily lead him to a starting role in a year if his development goes as planned.
TE Jesse James
5 of 10
The Steelers might have found the heir to veteran tight end Heath Miller in Penn State's Jesse James, a fifth-round selection in this year's draft. And with Miller actively mentoring the rookie, his future looks bright.
A hybrid blocking and catching tight end, James has a lot in common with Miller. He was not used as a receiver as often as he could have been in college, where he totaled 78 catches for 1,005 yards and 11 scores in three seasons, but those numbers belie a considerable talent.
James spoke with the Associated Press' Dan Scifo last week about his role in Pittsburgh. He said, "I feel I'm a balanced player and I can do whatever the team asks me to do. You have to prove yourself in all phases of the game. It's a new level, so I have to compete up to the level and make sure I'm doing my best every time."
Of Miller, James said, "There wasn't a better place to go as a tight end in this year's draft. To be able to come in and play under great tight ends here, it's a great situation for me to be able to learn from them and hopefully take what I learn and display it on the field."
With teams increasingly using two tight ends at the same time, James has a shot of getting playing time this year. But he'll have to prove a better blocker than Matt Spaeth to significantly eat into Spaeth's snaps this season. James could also spell Miller in certain situations. But his best years of NFL football will come in 2016 and beyond, especially if he earns the starting nod once Miller is no longer in Pittsburgh.
DL L.T. Walton
6 of 10
The Steelers don't have many pressing needs on the defensive line, but the future of the line is murky. That's why the team chose Leterrius "L.T." Walton in Round 6 of the 2015 draft. Walton is a project, making him a long shot to play a starter's worth of snaps this year, but his versatility cannot be denied.
Last week, Steelers defensive line coach John Mitchell said to Penn Live's Jacob Klinger, "Right now [Walton's] doing a pretty good job but he's making mental mistakes and mental mistakes will get you beat on Sunday," which sounds like a standard progress report for a sixth-round rookie in June.
Mitchell also confirmed that Walton has been playing defensive tackle in their sub packages, but in their 3-4 base defense, he's been used as an end. As long as he can show development and limit those "mental mistakes" that Mitchell pointed out, Walton could have a role in Pittsburgh in the future. But for now, he appears to be a practice squad candidate as a rookie.
LB Anthony Chickillo
7 of 10
Steelers linebackers coach Joey Porter said in May after the team drafted linebacker Anthony Chickillo, "I love the pick that we got. You never can have enough pass-rushers, especially in the way the NFL is being played now."
But that doesn't mean that Chickillo is guaranteed to make the team. In three seasons at Miami, he totaled 124 tackles, 17.5 tackles for a loss and 12 sacks. But for now, Chickillo is a developmental player.
As Steelers.com's Bob Labriola said in his Tuesday mailbag:
"Sixth-round draft picks are hardly sure things, and so to assume that [2014 draft pick Jordan] Zumwalt and Chickillo are players 'waiting in the wings' instead of being players who have yet to show they even belong on an NFL roster isn’t the way I would approach figuring out which 53 make up the best group to open the 2015 season.
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But the Steelers certainly do need pass-rushing help behind their big four of James Harrison, Jarvis Jones, Bud Dupree and Arthur Moats. Should Chickillo pass the eye test as a pass-rusher this summer, he may work his way onto the 53-man roster, even if that means he doesn't necessarily dress every game day.
S Gerod Holliman
8 of 10
Though the Steelers lost safety Troy Polamalu to retirement and fellow starter Mike Mitchell is coming off of surgery to repair two torn groin muscles, the drafting of safety Gerod Holliman in Round 7 this year isn't about throwing another player into the starting competition.
For now, Holliman needs to learn the intricacies of playing safety in the NFL, especially because he only played the position in a starting capacity for one year at Louisville. Though he won last year's Jim Thorpe Award, which is given to the nation's best defensive back, his 14 interceptions in 2014 do not trump the fact that he must get better at tackling.
One way to do that is to work with the Steelers coaching staff this summer. Another way is to work extensively on special teams, doing punt- and kick-return coverage. Eventually a starting job could be his, as Mitchell won't be with the Steelers forever and Shamarko Thomas, the man tapped to replace Polamalu, is mostly untested.
But 2015 doesn't look like a year in which Holliman will be playing starting snaps unless injuries force him in the game.
RB DeAngelo Williams
9 of 10
Even if starting Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell wasn't staring down a three-game suspension to start the season, the team still needed to add a veteran running back to back up Bell and provide additional NFL experience in the locker room. They did this by picking up DeAngelo Williams, who spent the last nine seasons starting for the Carolina Panthers.
Williams has rushed for 6,846 yards and 46 touchdowns in his career, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. He has also caught 178 passes for 1,621 yards and seven scores. His 2014 season was hindered by injuries, though, and he appeared in just six games, rushing 62 times for 219 yards and recording five catches for 44 more. He did not have a touchdown.
Williams went on a minute-long rant about his role in Pittsburgh last week. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, he said:
"I understand the role that I'm put in right now. I'm behind Le’Veon. I'm Le'Veon's backup. There's going to be a lot of emphasis on me. I get it. But guess what? I'm ready to handle that role. Whatever you guys are ready to throw at me, I'm ready for it. So shoot. Give me everything that you've got. Because it can't get any worse than what you've already given me.
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He also added, "By no means is it a heavy workload. All I have to do is get the playbook down, which I am. Understanding the terminology, which is different than Carolina's, which I am [learning]."
For the first three weeks of the season, Williams is poised to be the Steelers' starter if Bell's suspension stands. After that, he'll serve as Bell's backup, as LeGarrette Blount did last year before walking away from the team. Though Williams is 32 years old and doesn't have Bell's pass-catching skills, he'll certainly be able to play well as the starter in Weeks 1-3 and as Bell's backup the rest of the year.
QB/WR Tyler Murphy
10 of 10
Former Boston College quarterback Tyler Murphy isn't the only former collegiate quarterback on the Steelers roster who is trying his hand at multiple positions. Michigan's Devin Gardner is also with the team, working as both a receiver and quarterback.
But Murphy has stood out the most between the two and has emerged as the Steelers' most compelling undrafted rookie. Murphy spoke with PennLive's Jacob Klinger on Tuesday about his multiple roles.
Murphy said, "It's a little different, a little ironic, a little weird, but it's just something I have to adjust to and get used to. A lot of guys when they first get here, they have to make their living on special teams just because this team's well-established, a lot of good players already, a lot of starting spots."
He was referring to the fact that just minutes before he completed a pass to Gardner, he had been the special teams unit as part of kickoff coverage.
At first, Murphy had been working as a receiver with Gardner as a quarterback. But the two have reversed roles, something that Murphy expects to continue through the summer, saying, "We're both just swapping in just trying to get in where we fit in."
That Murphy has also been willing and able to contribute on special teams means the receiver-quarterback hybrid has a good chance of making the 53-man roster if he continues to improve in all areas. He could even push Landry Jones for the No. 3 quarterback spot.
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