Grading Steelers mediocre free agent moves through 8 weeks
By Andrew Falce
Eric Ebron
Grade: C+
The Steelers crown jewel of free agency has already lost a lot of its luster, as Eric Ebron has struggled to find a consistent role. While his receptions have gone up recently, it is concerning that he hasn’t been a big-play threat and even more concerning is that he has only scored twice on the season. Part of this is because the other Steelers’ weapons have progressed nicely, making dependence on Ebron not necessary. That said, his play still hasn’t been what many thought it would be.
On the season, he has caught 26 passes for 263 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Fine numbers, but not ones deserving of the contract he got. While he is becoming a security option for Ben Roethlisberger, he hasn’t proven to be overly dynamic with the ball in his hands. As well, his red-zone production has been almost nonexistent which is an unpleasant surprise considering he scored 13 times two seasons ago.
Considering the cap restrictions next offseason, it may be hard to justify keeping him at his cap number despite his expanding role. While he hasn’t been a disaster like some of the other free agents have been in the past, he certainly hasn’t been a value signing either. He looks like a potential one and done with the Steelers, joining a long list of signings that didn’t pan out once they were added to the team.
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While none of these additions have been disastrous for one reason or another, none of them of been quality additions either. This hasn’t stopped the Steelers from starting the season 7-0, but it certainly would be nice to see some more out of these players. To be frank, all of them need a strong second half of the season to warrant staying with the Steelers beyond 2020.