- Joined
- Apr 7, 2014
- Messages
- 2,542
- Reaction score
- 4,985
- Points
- 93
Offensive line, CHECK. Linebacker, CHECK. Cornerback, CHECK. Arguably the biggest needs for the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason have been addressed early on in free agency, but there is plenty of work to be done via free agency and the upcoming NFL Draft. Below are the biggest remaining needs the Steelers still have to address:
Right now, the wide receiver room looks like the toilet paper isle at the beginning of the pandemic; a few in stock, but rather bare. Outside of Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool, the Steelers do not possess much that pose a threat to opposing defenses. Right now, I would bet most of Steeler Nation could not name who the third wide receiver is, and to be honest, I have no clue who it should be given the group they currently have. The Steelers could go the route of dipping into the free agency market with names like Jarvis Landry, Will Fuller, and Julio Jones still remaining. I find this option to be the least likely because most the talent worth investing some of the roughly $10 million or so in cap space they have remaining are close to, if not, 30 years old. Their best and most likely option in my opinion, would be to invest a draft pick within the first three rounds on a wide receiver. Chris Olave, George Pickens, or Jameson Williams are all options likely to be available at some point in the draft to the Steelers that would help fill a need and add a different dynamic to the group. Unlike a season ago, the Steelers do not have the luxury of a James Washington or Ray-Ray McCloud to step in if an injury to their biggest names were to occur.
If the defense was not already littered with talent, I would say this would be the biggest need for the Steelers moving forward. Minkah Fitzpatrick is the star of the show and one half of the safety tandem for the very long foreseeable future, but there are plenty of questions behind him. Tre Norwood right now is the presumed starter next to Fitzpatrick, but I question if he is capable to fill that role. Norwood, a 7th round pick out of Oklahoma last season, primarily saw his workload as a slot corner rather than a true safety. Another option would be to move the Swiss Army knife that is Cam Sutton to safety, but is he reliable enough as a tackler to make the switch? For reference, he had a missed tackle rate of 15.9%, compared to that of Fitzpatrick at 11.7% and Terrell Edmunds at 9.3% per Pro Football Focus. To be truthful, there are not many exciting options to fill the position in the draft, and outside of signing a big name like Tyrann Mathieu, their best bet might be to bring back a guy like Edmunds on a one-year “prove it” deal and have the same group of individuals they had last season.
While the position might be a dime a dozen, the Steelers have a tough time with it. Najee Harris will be the workhorse in his second year with the Steelers and will likely be called upon much more without Ben Roethlisberger at the helm. Benny Snell, while a reliable runner and good pass blocker, does not offer the same dynamic ability that Harris brings to the table. This will be his fourth year in the NFL and it is likely the Steelers will let him walk next offseason as he has not done much to warrant a second contract. Anthony McFarland rounds out the group of realistic options on the roster and the jury is out on what he actually can do. His big play skillset has yet to be seen in the Black and Gold and there is no reason to believe this season will be any different. I would expect the Steelers to use a late round selection on the position on a player like James Cook out of Georgia or Kyren Williams out of Notre Dame to add some real depth to the group because if the worst were to happen, that room is not currently equipped to handle Harris missing for any period of time.
It will be interesting to see how Kevin Colbert in his last offseason as General Manager plans to address the remaining holes in the Steelers’ roster, but until then, let us know what you think, #SteelerNation. Are these positions truly a need? Do they need help elsewhere? Drop a comment below!
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
1) Wide Receiver
Right now, the wide receiver room looks like the toilet paper isle at the beginning of the pandemic; a few in stock, but rather bare. Outside of Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool, the Steelers do not possess much that pose a threat to opposing defenses. Right now, I would bet most of Steeler Nation could not name who the third wide receiver is, and to be honest, I have no clue who it should be given the group they currently have. The Steelers could go the route of dipping into the free agency market with names like Jarvis Landry, Will Fuller, and Julio Jones still remaining. I find this option to be the least likely because most the talent worth investing some of the roughly $10 million or so in cap space they have remaining are close to, if not, 30 years old. Their best and most likely option in my opinion, would be to invest a draft pick within the first three rounds on a wide receiver. Chris Olave, George Pickens, or Jameson Williams are all options likely to be available at some point in the draft to the Steelers that would help fill a need and add a different dynamic to the group. Unlike a season ago, the Steelers do not have the luxury of a James Washington or Ray-Ray McCloud to step in if an injury to their biggest names were to occur.
2) Safety
If the defense was not already littered with talent, I would say this would be the biggest need for the Steelers moving forward. Minkah Fitzpatrick is the star of the show and one half of the safety tandem for the very long foreseeable future, but there are plenty of questions behind him. Tre Norwood right now is the presumed starter next to Fitzpatrick, but I question if he is capable to fill that role. Norwood, a 7th round pick out of Oklahoma last season, primarily saw his workload as a slot corner rather than a true safety. Another option would be to move the Swiss Army knife that is Cam Sutton to safety, but is he reliable enough as a tackler to make the switch? For reference, he had a missed tackle rate of 15.9%, compared to that of Fitzpatrick at 11.7% and Terrell Edmunds at 9.3% per Pro Football Focus. To be truthful, there are not many exciting options to fill the position in the draft, and outside of signing a big name like Tyrann Mathieu, their best bet might be to bring back a guy like Edmunds on a one-year “prove it” deal and have the same group of individuals they had last season.
3) Running Back
While the position might be a dime a dozen, the Steelers have a tough time with it. Najee Harris will be the workhorse in his second year with the Steelers and will likely be called upon much more without Ben Roethlisberger at the helm. Benny Snell, while a reliable runner and good pass blocker, does not offer the same dynamic ability that Harris brings to the table. This will be his fourth year in the NFL and it is likely the Steelers will let him walk next offseason as he has not done much to warrant a second contract. Anthony McFarland rounds out the group of realistic options on the roster and the jury is out on what he actually can do. His big play skillset has yet to be seen in the Black and Gold and there is no reason to believe this season will be any different. I would expect the Steelers to use a late round selection on the position on a player like James Cook out of Georgia or Kyren Williams out of Notre Dame to add some real depth to the group because if the worst were to happen, that room is not currently equipped to handle Harris missing for any period of time.
It will be interesting to see how Kevin Colbert in his last offseason as General Manager plans to address the remaining holes in the Steelers’ roster, but until then, let us know what you think, #SteelerNation. Are these positions truly a need? Do they need help elsewhere? Drop a comment below!
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
