The Pittsburgh Steelers need to add some pieces to their tight end depth chart if they’re hoping to keep the offensive productivity alive this season.
Vance McDonald is the starting tight end in Pittsburgh. He’s not going anywhere and it’s not a debate. After last season, McDonald proved he’s the starter for the Steelers. Now, they need to figure out how to replace their backups.
After losing Jesse James and ending their run with Xavier Grimble, the Pittsburgh Steelers are left with one option – draft tight ends. It wasn’t always this straight forward, for months they could’ve searched through free agency looking for their next backup. But instead, they decided not to, and now, they need to add not one but two tight ends in this rookie class.
The Steelers will likely wait until later in the draft to find their James replacement. The former fifth-round pick became a starter-level contributor during his rookie contract and took his talents to Detroit, where he’ll be the top target for Matthew Stafford. This team can wait until almost the same round if they’re looking to add the same talent level.
They aren’t done there, though. Not only does Pittsburgh need to replace Jesse James, but they also need a new and improved Xavier Grimble. After two years of staying optimistic about Grimble’s contribution, the team isn’t ready to continue working with him on their roster.
So, they’ll need a third tight end to add to the mix. Unless they’re considering Bucky Hodges to compete with Grimble this offseason, adding a late-round player is another need this team should add to their list with ten draft picks.
It’s another position they need to keep an eye on, even if it’s not the biggest issue on the roster. One they’ll address come the late rounds of the 2019 NFL Draft.