How the Pittsburgh Steelers need to handle life without Ryan Shazier
Free Agency
The other option for the Steelers is to replace Shazier through free agency. I don’t believe there is a player available who is as talented as Shazier, but there are options. Navarro Bowman could be a stopgap option in the middle. Todd Davis, and Avery Williamson are both options as well.
Navorro Bowman
Navorro Bowman has been a major impact player over the course of his career. He could immediately improve the Steelers front seven next year, in a year that should be Super Bowl or bust. He has had serious injuries in past seasons, and will be thirty by next season.
The major question with Bowman is how much high quality football left in the tank. I believe his leadership would be a major addition to a defense that used feed off of Shazier’s energy. As good a player as he is, he would still be a stopgap option, and not a long term solution.
Todd Davis
A former undrafted free agent, Todd Davis has worked his way up to a starting linebacker in the NFL. He was the Broncos leader in tackles a couple seasons ago, and awarded the teams Ed Block Courage Award.
The award is given to a Bronco every year who shows “tremendous character on and off the field.” He is primarily a run stuffer, and is not great in pass coverage, but his path to starter in the NFL shows his dedication, and toughness.
When talking about Davis, Denver head coach Vance Joseph said, “Todd is special. Todd is one of our best leaders.’’ If anything I believe Davis would be a good locker room guy who can help the culture of thea team.
Avery Williamson
Avery Williamson is another free agent who, like Davis, is more of a run defender than anything else. He struggles in coverage, and won’t impact the game like Shazier could, but I consider him am elite run defender.
Pro Football Focus gave Williamson a 90.3 grade against the run, good for sixth in the NFL. He also had the highest run stop percentage among inside linebackers in 2016. I believe that this kind of production more than makes up for being a liability in coverage.
Demario Davis
Perhaps the riskiest option among the free agents, Davis was a surprise star on a surprising team. Expected to be a role player, he turned in a great season on a team that exceeded expectations.
He had easily the best year of his career, and was a top ten linebacker according to Pro Football Focus. He seems very likable, and would be a great addition if he can repeat last years performance.
The biggest issue is that one year is not a very large sample size, and it’s hard to trust someone with one great year in six spent in the league.