Best and Worst Moves Pittsburgh Steelers Can Make This Offseason
There is no stasis in the NFL. No team in the league stays exactly the same from one season to another. There are inevitable personnel changes, there are often coaching changes, there are changes to teams in direct rivalry to another and more that means what the Pittsburgh Steelers were in 2016 will not be what they look like in 2017. That's part of the draw.
But not all changes and moves made are necessarily the right ones. They may appear to be correct at the time, or they may not reveal themselves as mistakes until time has passed. And others are often perfectly executed, the time and tenor of these moments only serving to make a team better. But to be certain: Doing nothing in an NFL offseason is never an option.
The Steelers have moves to make, choices to consider, that could very much shape the look and performance of the team on the field in 2017. Here are four that, at this early stage, would be for the best and four that could more likely backfire than succeed.
Best: Take Care of the Antonio Brown & Le'Veon Bell Paydays
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Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said earlier in February that he would like impending free agent running back Le'Veon Bell to "be a member of the Steelers for life," and that he "unequivocally" wants receiver Antonio Brown "to retire as a member of the Steelers," per the team's official website. Both pieces of business are better done sooner than later.
All signs point to Bell being given the franchise tag, though Colbert hedged a bit, saying, "The tag is always an option, and it’s something we'll use if necessary," adding that the Steelers have until March 1 to make that determination. The tag is worth around $12 million for the 2017 season and would serve as a jumping-off point for long-term contract negotiations.
Thus, the window to get this project in motion is much narrower for that of Brown's, who is not a free agent this year but has been due a new deal since agreeing to a restructure last year, which came with the promise of a bigger payday come the 2017 offseason. Colbert also noted that Brown's camp and the Steelers are currently in active negotiations.
Given that the start of the new league year, when teams must work towards salary cap compliance and have a fiscal understanding of what 2017 will look like, is coming soon, the Steelers would be wise to get both situations sorted as quickly but also as prudently as possible. Bell and Brown are two of the top players in the league at their positions, so savvy negotiating is necessary, but so is keeping the core of Pittsburgh's explosive offense intact.
Though it's not a matter of if, but when. Making the "when" sooner than later when it comes to getting pen to paper with both Bell and Brown will be best for the Steelers.
Worst: Signing Darrelle Revis
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Never mind the four criminal charges brought upon New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis (in Pittsburgh, it should be noted—Revis is a Western Pennsylvania native), the Steelers should shy away from signing him this offseason if the Jets release him strictly for football reasons.
Revis, who would likely move to safety no matter which team he plays for in 2017, is simply not a fit for the Steelers. And while he would come as a discount compared to his $15.33 million salary cap hit he would cost the Jets if on their roster in 2017, per Spotrac, no amount of money is worth the Steelers pursuing him at this point in his career.
Yes, the criminal charges are one drawback but had that incident never occurred it would not have made Revis a more attractive potential free-agent target for the Steelers. For one, his skills are in decline; he had just one interception in 2017, had but five passes defensed and ranked 177th in yards per pass allowed, 163rd in success rate and 159th in yards after the catch allowed, according to Football Outsiders—out of 205 total cornerbacks ranked.
Further, Revis' role as a Steelers safety would not solely be relegated to coverage duties. He'd have to make big hits over the middle of the field, work in run support and blitz quarterbacks. Revis has only two sacks in his career, and Pro Football Focus counted only 377 run-defense snaps for Revis in 2016 (out of 922 total). He simply does not have the skill set to be a safety in Pittsburgh nor the talent level he used to display that would help make up for it.
Pittsburgh's money is not infinite and what isn't spent on Le'Veon Bell and Antonio Brown should be reserved for players worth paying. Revis was once the NFL's premier cornerback, but that doesn't mean, in 2017, he would be an effective safety for the Steelers.
Best: Examining Backup QBs from All Angles
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The Steelers do not have a quarterback controversy. Starter Ben Roethlisberger is under contract through the 2019 season and could easily see an extension between now and then. But the team does have to make decisions this year regarding who will back up Ben in 2017, and the Steelers would be wise to examine all available options before making their final decisions.
Roethlisberger's most recent backups, Landry Jones and Bruce Gradkowski, are both unrestricted free agents this offseason. Gradkowski isn't expected back, while Jones' future in Pittsburgh is more murky. While he could return—he does know the system, after spending the last four years in it—the Steelers shouldn't consider him their only or best option.
The free-agent quarterback market isn't the most dazzling this year, but it is populated by players who have had starting experience and even success in the NFL, something that isn't quite exactly the case with Jones. Jones has had just four starts for Pittsburgh, and while that's an acceptable amount given his backup status, and Roethlisberger's injury history, it is precisely that injury history that should open the Steelers up to another option.
The Steelers may also be able to find a better moldable project in a rookie while also adding a low-priced veteran to have a three-man quarterback room this year. While it would come as no surprise that the Steelers ultimately re-sign Jones, the wise play would be to not do so until after kicking the tires both of veteran free agents and potential draft picks first.
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Worst: Being Satisfied at Tight End
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The Steelers thought they had answered the question of "What does life after Heath Miller look like?" when they drafted tight end Jesse James in 2015 and then signed free agent tight end Ladarius Green in 2016. But it didn't work out as planned.
While James does have the all-around type of skill set that was Miller's hallmark, he's not quite on that level yet and may never be. And Green does have stretch-the-field abilities as a receiving tight end but has not been able to stay healthy. A combination of post-concussive headaches, an ankle injury and a late-season concussion kept him mostly off the field in 2016 and limited him to six games played.
Though Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert has confirmed that Green (signed to a four-year $20 million deal last March) will remain on the roster this year granted he passes his physical and James has ample opportunity for improvement and increased snaps, the Steelers cannot rest on the laurels of these two players alone.
With Green's injury history and James' potential limitations, Pittsburgh needs to round out its roster at the tight end position. There are numerous options in the draft as well as the potential to find a value and talent overlap via a veteran free agent. But Pittsburgh cannot just assume Green and James will be enough in 2017.
Best: Let the Cornerbacks Fight It out
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The Steelers relied primarily on three cornerbacks to handle coverage duties in 2016—William Gay, Ross Cockrell and Artie Burns. Meanwhile, 2015 draft pick Senquez Golson spent his second straight season on injured reserve, his potential yet to be realized.
Pittsburgh's secondary performed acceptably. The Steelers allowed only 20 passing touchdowns to their opponents in 2016, but the defense as a whole had 13 interceptions and gave up 3,882 yards in the passing game. There's no reason why Pittsburgh must stand pat and be beholden to their 2016 starting cornerback trio headed into the 2017 season.
Golson may finally be healthy this year. And the Steelers shouldn't shy away from drafting defensive backs or signing undrafted free agents for their secondary. Further, Sean Davis may not be a permanent safety for the Steelers depending on how the offseason plays out.
The best bet for the Steelers is to let their entire crew of cornerbacks battle it out through minicamps, OTAs and training camp, not assume anyone is a starter going into them and make a determination that is best for the defense and not reflective of veteran status or salary-cap numbers.
Worst: Overpaying Lawrence Timmons
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Linebacker Lawrence Timmons has been with the Steelers since 2007, when he was their first-round draft pick. He's been with the team ever since, but he's now headed for free agency unless he and Pittsburgh come to an agreement on a new contract before the league year begins on March 9.
There's no reason for the Steelers to not want Timmons back—he's a leader on defense, he's well-versed in the scheme, he can mentor younger players and, yes, he can still play at an NFL level. But they have to be smart about how they do it.
Timmons made over $15 million in 2016, a combination of salary and a prorated bonus from an earlier contract restructure. That kind of payout should be out of the question going forward, especially if the Steelers envision Timmons having a more limited role.
While Timmons has declared himself "die-hard Pittsburgh," the Steelers have to look beyond his loyalty to the team and their history of loyalty to veterans in order to give him a contract reflective of his talents and role.
The Steelers have only recently gotten themselves out of a decade of salary-cap stress and overpaying Timmons could get them stuck in that era quite quickly. They don't have to move on from the linebacker this offseason, necessarily; it's just that the not-moving-on part needs to be executed with intelligence.
Best: Thinking About the Future
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The Steelers are on the right track when working to get receiver Antonio Brown's long-term contract taken care of a year before he's set to hit free agency. But they must also think about the future for other players, as well, and determine whether they'd rather negotiations with some of their 2018 free agents take place after the 2017 season or before it even begins.
The Steelers typically do not engage in contract negotiations when the regular season is underway, which means for players like Brown, defensive end Stephon Tuitt, receiver Martavis Bryant (pending the results of his petition for reinstatement from suspension) and defensive tackle Daniel McCullers, they need to either push for a deal now or just wait it out.
Tuitt, among them, is the most crucial. He was the Steelers' top-graded interior lineman in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus (and 20th overall) and not likely someone Pittsburgh would like to part ways with. With the Steelers about to shell out significant cash for Brown and Le'Veon Bell, they should also be getting their 2018 finances straightened out and determine whether it's most prudent to get Tuitt (if not additional players) onto new contracts before the regular season commences.
Worst: Ignoring the Running Back Position
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Even if the situation with Le'Veon Bell comes to a satisfactory conclusion sooner than later, that doesn't completely erase the Steelers' running back issues. There's the matter of DeAngelo Williams also being an unrestricted free agent this year; without him, the Steelers will only have Bell and perhaps Fitzgerald Toussaint (currently on a reserve/futures contract that does nothing to guarantee him a roster spot) as their running backs.
Should the Steelers bring back Williams on a modest, one- or two-year contract, they would still be wise to reinforce the position, whether with other veteran free agents, via the draft or even both.
Bell has opened both of his previous two seasons with suspensions related to violations of the NFL's substance-abuse policy and may still need groin surgery in the offseason, which may or may not affect his early-season availability or effectiveness. And he's suffered other injuries in the past, something not uncommon for every-down, workhorse-style backs.
But every-down, workhorse running backs therefore need strong depth behind them should the worst occur. The Steelers need to consider the position an offseason priority, thinking not only about what could happen in 2017 but also their needs in 2018 and beyond.
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