3 players the Pittsburgh Steelers wish they still had on their roster
Chris Hubbard was a very good tackle on one of the best offensive lines in the NFL in 2017.
It stings that he is currently playing for the Cleveland Browns. However, he would’ve been appreciated greatly at the end of 2020. For starters, he is an upgrade over both Zach Banner and Chuks Okorafor. More importantly, having another capable tackle lessens the impact of Alejandro Villanueva at the end of this season.
Pittsburgh simply does not have the cap room to resign Big Al without letting other star players test free agency. It may be more difficult for the average fan to remember Hubbard. He spent a lot of his time playing as a substitute for the oft-injured Marcus Gilbert for a lot of his career in Pittsburgh. More importantly, you didn’t hear his name a lot. He wasn’t a walking penalty waiting to happen and he did not offer an easy route to the QB. He isn’t elite by any means, but he is an established starting-caliber tackle in the NFL and Pittsburgh could really have used his talents after this season.
This pick was more for the near-future than it was for the present. Chuks is playing great, and Big Al is still a member of Pittsburgh as of now. But Hubbard would provide a steady presence at tackle as the Steelers will have to figure out who is replacing Villanueva. It is unlikely that we see him in black and gold again, and I expect to see him finish his career outside of the Steel City. These next two players were budding stars at their positions before injuries cut them short. My first is a surprise that I’d be willing to wager you are not going to guess.
Yes, that is a punter, that looks like a linebacker, about to level a returner.
Daniel Sepulveda was a marvel to me. He was 6’3, 229 pounds in his playing days and he was a monster. He’d be around 36 this season which is not terribly old for a punter. He walked on to Baylor as a linebacker and transitioned into his new position where he was the best punter in college in 2004 and 2006. He had a strong start to his career, but a series of knee injuries ended his effectiveness as a punter.
He didn’t have the strongest leg I have ever seen by any means. His career-long was only 66 yards. However, he is by far the most consistent punter we have had since his playing days. Jordan Berry has all the makings of a great punter, but he has been wildly inconsistent. In some games, like the Ravens game, he will have a 50+ yarder, while pinning opponents inside the 20 multiple times. In other games, it is like the ball never makes it past their 25-yard line.
He has been so inconsistent Pittsburgh had decided to bring in another punter, Dustin Colquitt, who won the job going into 2020 but couldn’t get the distance the Steelers were looking for. Sepulveda was deadly when it came to pinning teams inside the 20, and the fact his size and athleticism gave you another viable defender on returns, was only a great bonus. This is a bit of a reach considering that at 36 he probably wouldn’t be laying the boom on returners like he used to. However, he is my all-time favorite punter and his consistency would be well-received for the Steelers.