Screw 2020 ... on to 2021

[madinsomniac]

Moving forward what should we do for next season?

What UFAs should we resign
Whom needs jettisoned
What positions should we target in the draft?

If possible, let’s leave the firing coaches talk out of this.....as much as I would love to bash them more, lets keep it talent related...

 

[mdk2]

Well we have enough money to bring back Berry.. after that, not much.


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[slashsteel]

You bring in a LT in free agency.

Tag Bud

Resign Sutton and Juju and maybe Hilton.

Besides the draft these are moves that should be made IMO.

 

[Avoid_Lloyd]

If, and that's a big IF Ben wanted to tear up his current contract and sign a team friendly contract to free up cap space could this be done?

It would be nice if Ben keeps playing he frees up space to give them the best chance to win, since hes made his money and says hes only still playing to win another title...

 

[Turd Ferguson]

You bring in a LT in free agency.

Tag Bud

Resign Sutton and Juju and maybe Hilton.

Besides the draft these are moves that should be made IMO.

With what....food stamps? The Steelers are $22M over the cap now and that cap will be going even lower due to COVID.

 

[Sarge]

If, and that's a big IF Ben wanted to tear up his current contract and sign a team friendly contract to free up cap space could this be done?

It would be nice if Ben keeps playing he frees up space to give them the best chance to win, since hes made his money and says hes only still playing to win another title...

I think it's time to move on from Ben. It will be rough, but the window on this team is closed. Every team in the AFCN is getting better and younger. No sense delaying the inevitable for some pipe dream of winning anything. Time to unload some other dead weight as well.

 

[TDX27]

Can't afford to tag Bud a 2nd time especially if he isn't ready to start the season. My guess is we sign Watt and not much else, depending on how bad the cap reduction truly is. We are going to be cutting more than we are signing or keeping anyone significant. Vance is probably gone. Vinnie is probably gone. Hilton and/or Sutton are probably gone. JuJu is 50/50. I think you need to keep him if you can for some continuity and leadership in the WR room. But, if he goes, Washington, Diontae and Claypool wouldn't be bad at all. Washington has shown he belongs every time they put him in a game.

We will draft a RB and possibly 2 OL. The rest of who we sign will be scraps from the heap unless they do something so the cap reduction isn't so severe. I can actually see a cap reduction 2 years in a row, which would mean we truly would start from scratch.

 

[slashsteel]

With what....food stamps? The Steelers are $22M over the cap now and that cap will be going even lower due to COVID.

Manipulating Ben and a few others contracts frees up the necessary room.

 

[SteelerSask2]

#1 priority, move on from Big Ben. And its not his fault, he is still a viable QB next year. Its simply the way they have structured his contract and retaining him will put you back in this same spot next season. He is a band aid on a gushing wound.

 

[SteelerSask2]

Manipulating Ben and a few others contracts frees up the necessary room.

Manipulating Ben short of him playing next year for 20 million with no remortgage is just a band aid on the wound and might hurt you beyond just the finances.

 

[Coryea]

You bring in a LT in free agency.

Tag Bud

Resign Sutton and Juju and maybe Hilton.

Besides the draft these are moves that should be made IMO.

can't have Bud having a 20 million cap hit coming off of injury.

You sit Ben down and tell him, if he wants to play, then this is the restructure, extension he has to take, if not, see you in Canton in 5 years.
You have to get a LT somewhere, hope one in there in the draft and he starts from day one.
Pouncey, Tuitt, Haden, and DeCastro have a combined cap hit of 60 million. DeCastro and Pouncey were not good much of the season, Tuitt disappeared for stretches this season. Haden is pretty good, but he'll be 32.
Dotson is our best OG right now, might be our best OLinmen.

Alot of tough decisions.

 

[SteelerSask2]

Any talk of Ben being a Steeler next year revolves around wanting to be competitive next season, but being in this exact situation in 2022. That is not moving toward where this team should go.

 

[ExUSAF]

Moving forward what should we do for next season?

What UFAs should we resign
Whom needs jettisoned
What positions should we target in the draft?

If possible, let’s leave the firing coaches talk out of this.....as much as I would love to bash them more, lets keep it talent related...

If getting rid of coaches is off the table, the first three don't matter. I don't see a single UFA that we need resigned in any case.

 

[Coryea]

If getting rid of coaches is off the table, the first three don't matter. I don't see a single UFA that we need resigned in any case.

Exactly, need a culture change here, some new energy.

 

[SteelerFan448]

Here's my current offseason plan:

Retirements
Ben Roethlisberger
Maurkice Pouncey
Vance McDonald


Veteran Releases
Eric Ebron
Joe Haden

Key Pending UFAs
Walk
Alejandra Villanueva
JuJu Smith-Schuster
Jordan Berry
Chris Wormley

Sign to Long-Term Deals
Cam Sutton - He shouldn't command much and is versatile.

Mike Hilton - I know a lot on here think he's going to break the bank, I just think he's not strong in coverage but does other things well. Some team may overpay him, but maybe we can get him on a good deal.

Low Contract Offers
Tyson Alualu
Zach Banner
Avery Williamson
Robert Spillane
Josh Dobbs
Sean Davis

Offer a Deal
Let's be clear, this doesn't mean I'd sign these guys, I'd just explore the option. It'd have to be at a price that is right for the team. They are all more likely in the "Walk" category.

Bud Dupree - I'm not going to break the bank for him, but I'm at least going to try to work something out, even if it's a one-year "prove it" deal coming off the injury.

James Conner - The lack of production due to injuries could mean a relatively cheap deal and he is a quality backup behind a rookie RB.

Matt Feiler - This would be to start at RT.



Contract Extensions
Time to quit messing around with our young players. We have to get back to locking these guys up before their contracts expire. It's ridiculous we're losing so much young talent.

T.J. Watt - He's about to become the highest paid defender in the league.

Actually, the only other young guys are Washington, Rudolph, and Okorafor. I'm not interested in long-term deals for any. Fitzpatrick and Edmunds have team options.


Coaching Staff
I know it's not going to happen, but I call up every single team in need of a head coach and work out a Jon Gruden type "trade" with Tomlin.

Now that I'm out of fantasy land, the Steelers have to move on from Fichtner and Butler. We need a young, innovative mind. I'm not in favor of promoting Matt Canada because he saw what is deemed acceptable. I want a guy who has NFL head coaching aspirations and would even consider going to the college ranks. If not, find a QB or WR coach from one of these hot offensive teams who's ready for the next job. I'd probably make wholesale changes on the offensive staff just to send a message.

Butler probably stays because of the injuries, but you cannot ignore two monumental failures from the defense in the past two playoff appearances



Free Agent Market

1. Veteran QB. Like one of those guys that makes a couple of million per year to compete with Rudolph.

2. Tight end. The Steelers don't use them much, so don't spend much on the position. Invest in receiver and get a guy who can block and catch the occasional first down.

3. Center. Stopgap for a rookie.

4. Defensive line depth. Get a veteran who is not spectacular but just does their job.


Draft Needs
1. Left Tackle
2. Running Back
3. Center
4. Cornerback
5. Edge
6. Defensive Line
7. Tight End
8. Wide Receiver

Guys I like:
OT: Christian Darrisaw, Samuel Cosmi, Liam Eichenberg, Alex Leatherwood
RB: Najee Harris, Travis Eitenne, Javonte Williams, Kenneth Gainwell, Khalil Herbert (would prefer not drafting one in the first)
C: Landon Dickerson, Josh Myers, Creed Humphrey, Jimmy Morrissey

Other guys I like: Chris Olave (WR), Kadarius Toney (WR), Pat Freiermuth (TE), Jaelan Phillips (edge), Derion Kendrick (CB), Astante Samuel Jr. (CB)

Pitt guys: Jimmy Morrissey (C), Patrick Jones (edge), Rashad Weaver (edge), Jaylen Twyman (IDL)

 

[FordFairLane]

We have 18 free agents and are 22 million over the cap. The best we can do is extend everybody knowing only Watt and Rudolph have a shot at seeing the majority of the contract and plan on a 2022 cut everyone and be lucky to win 2-3 games. Or they move on from Ben, Pouncey, Villanueva, Haden, Williams, JuJu and Decastro hope to be semi competitive in 2021 and Rudolph ends up being the future and then reload for 2023+.

 

[madinsomniac]

With what....food stamps? The Steelers are $22M over the cap now and that cap will be going even lower due to COVID.

No that was the cap already adjusted with no attendance revenue... after the rollover of cap space from this year tgey will be 15 million over the 175 million dollar cap... The cap cannot go down lower cause thats all tv money

 

[bmoritz]

I would cut V Williams, Pouncey, and Edmunds TODAY! I'm torn on Ben. My heart wants him to come back, but my head believes what my eyes have seen, and he's done. Williams is a player, has a lot of heart, but is just too damn slow. Pouncey has ALWAYS been ridiculously overrated. The fact that he made the Pro Bowl this year is a joke! Time to move on. And Edmunds? How the hell is he on the team? He can't cover, can't tackle, can't catch, and has no clue where he's supposed to be. He SUCKS!

 

[SteelerFan448]

I would cut V Williams, Pouncey, and Edmunds TODAY! I'm torn on Ben. My heart wants him to come back, but my head believes what my eyes have seen, and he's done. Williams is a player, has a lot of heart, but is just too damn slow. Pouncey has ALWAYS been ridiculously overrated. The fact that he made the Pro Bowl this year is a joke! Time to move on. And Edmunds? How the hell is he on the team? He can't cover, can't tackle, can't catch, and has no clue where he's supposed to be. He SUCKS!

I'd love to see another go around with Ben, but this year is as good as we're gonna get and we'll see more of the November-January version than the September-October version.

 

[SteelChip]

To be perfectly honest, I would rather root for a below average young team than go through another frustrating year watching a team with skill and promise under perform again. ....jus sayin

We have had many lean years with little talent in da Burgh and we have had many disappointing years with a lot of talent lately...I hate under performing above all. It's not near as bad to see an average team lose as it is to see a talented team play like ****.

Clean house, yep Ben too and let's reset this cluster freakin' mess over.................safe what we can afford without mortgaging the future and get back to playing
Pittsburgh ball.

This is all we get lately. Time to change

 

[Steelr4evr]

If getting rid of coaches is off the table, the first three don't matter. I don't see a single UFA that we need resigned in any case.

They need a huge refresh. If the coaches don't go, then it honestly doesn't matter what they do with players. The body of work over the last 12 years says so.


Cutting everyone and not rebuilding something that is fatally flawed above the shoulders will give us what we've repeated over and over and over again for a decade.

 

[SteelerSask2]

I draft a stud running back or stud OL, whichever is available, but frankly they need tackle, which is pretty difficult as late as they draft, so probably running back.

 

[Steelr4evr]

To be perfectly honest, I would rather root for a below average young team than go through another frustrating year watching a team with skill and promise under perform again. ....jus sayin

We have had many lean years with little talent in da Burgh and we have had many disappointing years with a lot of talent lately...I hate under performing above all. It's not near as bad to see an average team lose as it is to see a talented team play like ****.

Clean house, yep Ben too and let's reset this cluster freakin' mess over.................safe what we can afford without mortgaging the future and get back to playing
Pittsburgh ball.

This is all we get lately. Time to change

Mine is more like evil scientist laughter. No tissue needed. My goose got cooked 4-5 epic collapses back. I've become so comfortably numb with mediocrity. That i expect it.


I don't even know what Pittsburgh Steeler football is anymore. Their championship formula got taken out in the trash awhile back.

 

[SteelerSask2]

I'd love to see another go around with Ben, but this year is as good as we're gonna get and we'll see more of the November-January version than the September-October version.

If Ben was 14 million next year sure ok. They made their bed with him and now they have to lie in it. He is 40 million. Pushing off more of his salary to create future cap problems is a terrible idea. And for Ben's sake he needs to find a better fit for his situation id he wants to continue, like Rivers did. Washington?

 

[SteelChip]

I just saw this article......, Interesting ! Will it happen ? Not a freakin prayer, but it does sound ...like I said , interesting.

When we relate this philosophy to next years Pittsburgh Steelers, we need to look at a few key positions that likely won't receive NFL Draft attention. The most important thing we must take into consideration is just how many offensive lineman the Steelers will select this year. Depending on how the roster shapes up, I would anticipate up to three offensive lineman are selected. Next, we must note the departing players that won't be replaced via the draft or position groups that need veteran guidance. The Steelers might need to completely revamp their tight end room, and their receivers and running back rooms haven't had a veteran role model in years. So, with that in mind, here are the players I could see the Steelers targeting to help the team remain competitive, be good voices in the locker room, and be genuine bridge players.

Here are the list of targets and a projected cap hit:

Frank Gore: 1 Year, $750,000
Larry Fitzgerald: 1 Year, $2,000,000
Zach Ertz (TRADE): 1 Year, $4,702,000
J.J. Watt: 1 Year, $3,000,000 (contingent on released)

All of these players have the motivation to make this move. For Frank Gore, he gets a shot at a title while mentoring a 2021 Steelers draft pick. Larry Fitzgerald gets to end his career in the place it started for a shot at a title. Zach Ertz will be traded or released, and the Steelers could cut both of their top tight ends. And J.J. Watt gets to play with his brothers and for one of the best owners in sports (and is rumored to not care about NFL money).

To top it off you get those players for less than what it would take to bring back either Dupree, or Smith-Schuster.
https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.c...-starters-this-offseason-pittsburgh-ertz-watt