Steelers: 4 potential replacements for Alejandro Villanueva in 2021
By Tommy Jaggi
Kelvin Beachum
During his time with the Steelers, Kelvin Beachum was actually a very capable pass protector. Despite his shocking small stature for the position (6’2” and 303 pounds), Beachum had great footwork and knew how to keep defenders in front of him. Unfortunately, he never offered much push in the run game, and that is something he has continued to struggle with throughout his career.
Still, it’s really hard to find left tackles in the NFL, and Beachum has remained a full-time NFL starter since leaving Pittsburgh after the 2015 season. Beachum turns 32 years old this summer and he would strictly be a stop-gap player for the Steelers until they are able to find a better option. It’s also possible that there is another team out there who could be willing to fork up more money for Beachum thanks to his 115 starts at tackle.
With Alejandro Villanueva almost certain to depart from the team, Beachum is an option that makes a lot of sense for Pittsburgh. He’s already familiar with some of the names in the facility and he knows Ben Roethlisberger well. If the Steelers don’t trust a player like Okorafor to take over on the left side, I fully expect them to at least reach out to Kelvin Beachum this offseason.