3 positions the Steelers will need to address most in 2020

The Pittsburgh Steelers are still a month away from the regular season, but here is an early look at three positions they will need to address in 2020.

The Steelers haven’t yet set foot on the field for a preseason game, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have an idea of which positions will be in need this season. They made a bold statement by trading up for linebacker Devin Bush this past April, but will that be enough?

Pittsburgh stands to be a competitive team again in 2019, but early training camp looks at their roster, and positional depth gives us insight as to which positions will need to be addressed the most next offseason.

Here are three positions that the Steelers will need to look at improving after the 2019 season:

Free safety

Sean Davis has turned out to be a solid player for the Steelers, but he hasn’t shown enough to warrant a big extension, in my opinion. Davis doesn’t give up a lot of deep balls, but he isn’t a play-maker either. He has just 1 interception in his last 17 games.

Instead of electing to pay good money for Davis, the Steelers should be searching for his replacement in free agency or the NFL draft. This is an area where the Steelers could do better.

Tight end

Vance McDonald has the makings of a prototype tight end, but he is already 29 years old and has an extensive injury history. The Steelers lost Jesse James this offseason and didn’t do much in the way of replacing him.

Xavier Grimble is best suited as a teams’ 3rd tight end, and it remains to be seen if 5th round draft choice, Zach Gentry, will be worthy of a roster spot. The Steelers need a reliable number two tight end who could eventually be the heir to Vance McDonald.

Right outside linebacker

The Steelers found a gem in T.J. Watt, but they still need to improve on the other side. Pittsburgh gave Bud Dupree the 5th year option – paying him upwards of $9.2M in 2019, but he is set to become a free agent after next season.

It would be hard for the Steelers to justify giving Dupree a big extension at this point. Outside of him, Chickillo is a solid rotational piece, and Ola Adeniyi has shown great flashes. However, it remains to be seen whether or not Bud’s replacement is on hand. Either way, the Steelers will need to address this position in 2020.

All we are concerned with right now is how Pittsburgh will perform in 2019. There will always be areas in need of improvement. These three positions may be the ones that need addressed the most after this season.