The Pittsburgh Steelers head into the off-season with many more questions rather than answers. With holes to fill and improve pretty much everywhere, the off-season will look much different to Steeler fans than they have come to expect for the last two decades. Head coach Mike Tomlin and likely soon to retire General Manager Kevin Colbert have plenty of decisions to make regarding the importance of each position the team lacks depth in. The next few weeks, we will take a look at multiple positional groups that need to be addressed throughout the off-season.
But before we get into our first group, let's look at the coaching staff.
We know Matt Canada will most likely get one more shot as Offensive Coordinator and that Keith Butler is expected to retire with Senior Defensive Assistant, Teryl Austin probably stepping into the role. We also can expect Chris Morgan to be promoted from interim offensive line coach to the guy leading the big guys upfront in 2022.
So, that is where we have to begin in this series, right? The offensive line has been suspect for two years, but without Maurkice Pouncey, Alejandro Villanueva or David Decastro, we saw plenty of changes including two rookies starting the majority of the year. The Steelers averaged only 3.9 yards per carry (28th in the NFL). The team only had 10 rushing touchdowns which was ranked 31st in the league. This is a positional group that needs to be rearranged. While the Steelers were middle of the pack in sacks allowed, it is a skewed statistic because of how quick Ben Roethlisberger got rid of the ball in 2021. Allowing over two sacks a game is a starting point, but needs to improve.
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Could the Steelers make a splash in free agency and fork up $60 million to tackle, Terron Armstead of the New Orleans Saints? This could allow Dan Moore Jr. to move to right tackle and provide a ton of stability at the tackle position. Ryan Jensen, center for Tampa Bay Buccaneers is another intriguing name to pay attention to who would immediately step in at center while Kendrick Green could move to guard. It will be interesting to see if the Buccaneers try and hold onto Jensen.
Another name to keep an eye on is San Francisco 49ers guard, Laken Tomlinson. He is 29 years old and could land on a team for a three-year deal and at a reasonable price. The team's approach to Trai Turner could decide an approach to a guard in the off-season.
When we reach April's NFL Draft, the offensive line could already look different, but depending on the aggressiveness in free agency, which I expect to be more so than usual, the Steelers could target an offensive lineman with their first round selection. Names to look out for here are Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum, Northern Iowa tackle Trevor Penning, Texas A&M's Kenyon Green and Mississippi State tackle, Charles Cross.
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The most important part of this off-season, aside from figuring out the quarterback position, will be this offensive line. The Steelers have a very talented running back in Najee Harris and establishing a running game will open up possibilities for the new signal caller as well as relieve some pressure. The future of the offensive line may not be any of the guys listed above, but there are plenty of options out there.
There will be shifting around, money tossed people's ways and it will certainly be an unprecedented off-season to rearrange this unit. There will need to be some serious changes and if there is not, the group will not take any steps forward. The positional group that the Steelers target in free agency could certainly be the offensive line.
What do you think the team should do in order to improve the offensive line? Let us know in the comments below!
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