Steelers' Offseason Guide Entering 2021 NFL Season

The Pittsburgh Steelers' 48-37 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Wild Card Weekend was a bitter end to the 2020 season and the beginning of a challenging offseason ahead. 

What was once an 11-0 team full of promise stumbled to the finish line, culminating in a tough loss to a division rival at home. A 1-4 stretch to end the season saw Ben Roethlisberger go from borderline MVP candidate to throwing 12 touchdowns to eight interceptions over the final stretch. 

Roethlisberger will be a hot topic in the offseason. He'll be 39 next season and due to cost the team $41.25 million in 2021. It's a crippling cost for a team that has several key pieces with expiring contracts and precious little cap flexibility to retain their talent. 

That puts the team in relatively uncharted territory. An organization known for its stability is going to have a lot of things in flux as they make the decision to either undergo a rebuild or attempt to put together a contending roster on the fly. 

Here's an overview of all the components that will make the Steelers' offseason. 

Priorities

Don Wright/Associated Press

The front office is going to have some hard conversations about which pieces are indispensable moving forward. Roethlisberger retiring would clear some significant cap space, but as it stands, the Steelers are projected to be $21.9 million over the cap. 

That's with a bevy of important players heading toward free agency and prime cut/trade candidates that include the likes of Joe Haden, Maurkice Pouncey (who could retire anyway) and Eric Ebron. All played important roles on the team this season. 

In terms of on-field areas of need, the Steelers will need to find ways to run the ball more effectively than they did in 2020. Pittsburgh was dead last in yards per carry at 3.6, and that was with them rarely running the ball. They were also 31st in run percentage. 

Those issues came to bear in the playoff game with the Browns. Roethlisberger was forced to throw 68 times while the rushing attack posted just 52 yards on 16 carries. 

The defense was once again brilliant throughout much of the season, but given the exodus of talent that is likely to happen, they will need to find cheaper alternatives that will allow their defense to continue to be elite. 

Impending Free Agents

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

The following are notable free agents the team will need to either re-sign or replace. The full list of all 26 impending free agents can be found on Over The Cap. 

• EDGE Bud Dupree
• LT Alejandro Villanueva
• LB Avery Williamson
• WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
• DL Chris Wormley
• CB Mike Hilton
• LB Robert Spillane
• RT Matt Feiler
• DL Tyson Alualu
• RB James Conner

The Steelers have typically been a well-run franchise over the course of the last few decades, but the bill is coming due this year. Picking who they will keep and who they will allow to walk won't be easy when trying to balance cap space. 

Bud Dupree figures to be at the top of the list. The Steelers' identity on defense is built around pressuring the passer, and Dupree is among their best pass-rushers. He had eight sacks in 11 games and 26 total pressures.

On the other hand, the Steelers already kicked the can down the road with him for one season. He played on the franchise tag, and they may feel they can scheme pressure for Dupree's replacement if he walks. 

Alejandro Villanueva has been a consistent option at left tackle for years. His $8.39 million cap hit last season was a bargain given his value. However, at 33 years old, the team will have to decide if it's worth continuing to pay him, even at that number. 

James Conner and JuJu Smith-Schuster are also ones to keep an eye on. Smith-Schuster is obviously talented, but his expected market value is around $15.6 million per season, according to Spotrac's calculations. 

That could be difficult to justify given Diontae Johnson (88 catches, 923 yards and seven touchdowns) and Chase Claypool's (62 catches, 873 yards and nine touchdowns) seasons. 

Free-Agency Outlook

Don Wright/Associated Press

Cap Space: -$21.9 million, per Spotrac

The main goal for Pittsburgh is obviously going to be getting under the cap while retaining as many key pieces as they can. When you're projected to be nearly $22 million in the red to start the offseason dreaming about the biggest names available isn't an option. 

That isn't typically the Steelers' approach to things anyway. 

The good news for the team is there are some options to carve out more space. The biggest one would be getting Roethlisberger to retire or renegotiate his deal, or straight up cutting him. Letting him go would save $19 million against the cap.  

That would be a brutal move for a team that has called Roethlisberger their quarterback for nearly two decades. But desperate times can bring out the most rigid business decisions. 

The team can claim big cap savings from cutting Joe Haden ($12.6 million), Maurkice Pouncey ($8 million) and Eric Ebron ($6 million). So they aren't without options to get some breathing room, but it requires them to make key decisions between players who played pivotal roles in getting them off to an 11-0 start this season.  

Assuming they make some of those moves, they'll be on the lookout for bargains in the free-agent market. Perhaps a player like Russell Okung, who missed all but six games of the season and is going to 33 years old next season, could be signed at an affordable cost.

Draft Preview

L.G. Patterson/Associated Press

The Steelers are projected to have the following draft picks at their disposal to improve the team. 

• Round 1, pick 24

• Round 2, pick 55

• Round 3, pick 88

• Round 4, pick 119

• Round 6, pick 188

• Round 7, pick 210

• Round 7, pick 220

This isn't an impressive haul of draft picks by any means. The Steelers have built a consistent playoff team for years without premium picks in most seasons, though, so there should be faith they will find some important pieces moving forward in the draft. 

Once again, a lot depends on what Roethlisberger decides to do. If he decides to make one last run in the Black and Yellow, then giving him the added protection of a tackle like Alex Leatherwood or Rashawn Slater with the 24th pick would be optimal. 

If Big Ben decides to hang up the cleats, the team becomes an interesting landing spot for quarterbacks Mac Jones or Kyle Trask, if they make it that far. 

There are plenty of other spots on the field that could stand to become younger with their Day 2 and Day 3 picks. Given their financial situation, it may be better for the team to trade down with some of their picks in order to get more players who could contribute on rookie deals. 

Cornerback should be a position of interest. Mike Hilton is set to hit free agency, and Haden is going to be 32 this season. Someone like either of the Georgia cornerbacks Eric Stokes and Tyson Campbell or Clemson's Derion Kendrick could be names to watch. 

The Steelers have been fortunate to hit on several draft picks throughout the years. The team rarely spends big on free agency and does a good job retaining their top talent. 

They'll have to continue to do that to get through a challenging offseason in 2021.