Steelers: How will Pittsburgh address struggling secondary?
By Jack Tolman
Art Rooney II, president of the Pittsburgh Steelers, made it clear that the team was to address the issue regarding the struggling secondary this offseason. How will they attempt to solve the issue?
The Pittsburgh Steelers simply had one of the worst secondaries in the league this season. The group ranked 30th in the league in passing yards allowed, and relied on a prolific offense to keep them alive in many games.
With all eyes on the Super Bowl heading into 2016, the Steelers cannot afford another season of poor defensive play if they want to compete with the giants of the NFL.
Having an amazing offense, but a terrible defense simply doesn’t win championships. Feel free to ask the 2013 Denver Broncos, who fell 43-8 to the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII. Then, if you ask the group that won this year, you’d think they may give credit to their top ranked defense.
The Steelers secondary is filled with underperforming young players that the Steelers have unwisely relied on over the past couple of years. If William Gay is to leave Pittsburgh, which is hard to imagine but is a possibility, the Steelers secondary may be in worse shape than before, which causes headaches just thinking about it.
Despite concerns about the cap space arising, it seems the Steelers will have a fair amount of money to spend in free agency. By no means will the Steelers be able to afford super stars, but they should be able to make some key additions to take a step in the right direction.
A lot of people have expressed their desire for veteran safety Eric Weddle, who is almost surely hitting the free agent market after expressing disgust with San Diego management earlier this year. Weddle would be a huge upgrade for the safety position, and would make a really great duo with Mike Mitchell.
If the Steelers were to sign Weddle, that definitely would not stop the Steelers from pursuing a safety come draft time. The Weddle signing would probably make a first round safety unlikely, but Weddle is entering the twilight years of his career at age 31, which is why he may come as a bargain.
Other options at safety would include the younger Tashaun Gipson, or George Iloka, but they may be seeking larger contracts with so many years left in their careers. The Steelers may not have the resources to grab them, and the franchises that they’re a part of may not want to let go of young talent.
At the cornerback position, there are plenty of options, but a lot of the younger budding stars are going to demand huge salaries, and the veterans are very temporary solutions. The most likely signings would be Trumaine Johnson, Jerraud Powers, or Patrick Robinson, and while they’d definitely be positive additions, the draft is the place to find the best young talent that can lead the way to creating real change.
The question is, will the Steelers spend their top pick on a corner back or safety?
General Manager Kevin Colbert has been completely about picking the best player on the board, and not going out of his way to fill the biggest needs of the team.
If there is not a cornerback or safety that Colbert believes is worth the first round pick, he won’t pick them. The Steelers could easily pick a tight end to fill the void left by the recently retired Heath Miller. The Steelers could pick a defensive tackle, especially if Steve McClendon isn’t re-signed. They could even opt to pick an offensive lineman considering they may be losing both Beachum and Foster.
There are plenty of great prospects in this draft to help the secondary, but Colbert may find that those deserving of a first round call are selected before the 25th pick.
No matter what, the Steelers will almost certainly pick players that can help out in the secondary somewhere in the draft, and likely in the early rounds. It’s the number one issue with the Pittsburgh roster, but with Colbert’s philosophy, it may not be the first issue he addresses.