Mike Munchak is the biggest offseason loss for the Pittsburgh Steelers
By Tommy Jaggi
The Pittsburgh Steelers 2019 offseason has been anything but quiet. However, the loss of Mike Munchak will be the most detrimental to the team.
Over the past two NFL offseasons, the Steelers have made their share of noise. Last year, the ‘quiet’ months were all about Le’Veon Bell and whether or not he would show up for the start of the season.
This offseason, Antonio Brown was the center of attention following the 2018 league year, as the former 4-time All-Pro receiver essentially demanded a trade out of Pittsburgh.
With this drama now mainly behind us, we have had some time to reflect on the most detrimental loss the Steelers will face in 2019. I believe that will be the departure of offensive line coach, Mike Munchak.
You could certainly argue that Antonio Brown was the biggest loss, due to his unmatched production over the past six years, but I could make the case that Munchak’s impact is bigger.
Munchak was the glue that held the Steelers offensive line together. Though I think it is possible the starting unit could survive without him, it is likely that may see a decline in play.
Something Munchak did better than anyone was develop late round and undrafted players. We have seen this time and again with players like Alejandro Villanueva, Kelvin Beachum, B.J. Finney, and Chris Hubbard.
The Steelers also didn’t need to invest draft capital into the offensive line with Munchak around. In fact, since arriving in Pittsburgh in 2014, the highest draft pick the Steelers used on an offensive linemen was a 3rd rounder in 2018 on Chukwuma Okorafor. Somehow, the Steelers always ended up with a top unit despite not investing high in the position.
On the flip side, I could certainly make the case that Brown’s and Bell’s contributions have not out-weighted the distractions over the past two seasons. The Steelers managed just fine without Le’Veon Bell, and Brown’s chemistry with the team hit rock-bottom.
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Mike Munchak was simply brilliant at his craft, and is easily among the best in the league at what he does. If fans haven’t begun to miss him already, they will very soon.