The State of the Steelers
The Wild Card round of the 2019 NFL playoffs has wrapped up. Eight teams remain in the hunt for the coveted Lombardi trophy.
The Steelers are not one of them.
The disaster that is the 2018 Pittsburgh Steelers can be summed up in many ways. Some of the obvious examples include continued lack of communication on defense, Roethlisberger’s careless turnovers, LeVeon Bell drama, and untimely injuries, to name a few.
That said, it wasn’t all bad. Ben Roethlisberger led the NFL in yards, his offensive line dominated as the league’s top unit for another season, JuJu Smith-Schuster continued his development into becoming one of the game’s best wide receivers, and the Steelers will (tentatively) send six players to the Pro Bowl.
Unfortunately, the aforementioned details do not begin to tell the story of this year’s tumultuous season, and most importantly, the future. Putting the rumors aside and focusing on the details and facts, here is the current state of the Steelers:
Antonio Brown and members of the Steelers organization have significant relationship issues to address. Taking five minutes of your day to google “Antonio Brown” will return several rumors as to what these issues are. Regardless of what actually happened, and for the record, I doubt we ever truly find out, the current relationship between Brown and the Steelers is unsustainable. Whether this is handled internally by both parties coming together, or a roster move is made, expect a resolution by the end of March.
Joey Porter has been fired as linebackers coach. In a move that should have been made after the 2016 playoffs, Porter has officially been removed from the team. The lack of development from Bud Dupree, Anthony Chickillo, and Jarvis Jones is simply enough evidence toward the need for change.
Dave Saxon, Steelers’ running backs coach, has also been fired as of Monday.
Mike Tomlin will remain as head coach of the Steelers. Defensive coordinator Keith Butler appears to be safe for another year as well, barring any new announcements. Special team’s coach Danny Smith is in a similar spot as Butler, whether or not it is warranted.
Ben Roethlisberger will return for 2019. Reports of an extension have also surfaced for the 15-year veteran.
The Steelers will have the 20th pick in the 2019 NFL draft. They project to have around $20 million in salary cap space as LeVeon Bell and Ryan Shazier’s contracts will expire. This is a significant amount of cap space that the Steelers are usually without heading into the offseason.
Ramon Foster and Mike Hilton headline the upcoming free agents for the Steelers. Other less notable names include B.J. Finney, Tyson Alualu, Coty Sensabaugh, Jordan Berry, Anthony Chickillo, Derrius Heyward-Bey, L.J. Fort, Eli Rogers, Jesse James, and Matt Feiler.
Contract decisions with Morgan Burnett, Bud Dupree, and Artie Burns will also be made before the season starts.
Chris Boswell missed a career high seven field goals and five extra points. This led the NFL in both categories. He missed the final game against the Bengals with an undisclosed foot injury. He is signed through the 2022 season.
The Steelers find themselves in an unfamiliar situation by missing the playoffs and also being the center of the media’s attention. A lot will ride on the front office’s decisions in the upcoming months. One thing is certain, change is needed.
