The Steelers are going to need to find a way to replace Alejandro Villanueva at left tackle. Here are four names who could be the answer in 2021.
The free-agent frenzy is about to begin, and we don’t have a lot of answers as to what the Steelers will be doing this March. In most years, they would have re-signed many of their starting veterans before allowing them to test the market; however, we are operating under very unusual circumstances in 2021.
Because of the pandemic, the cap number looks like it’s going to come in at just $182.5 million, and with Pittsburgh having 19 unrestricted free agents this offseason, the chances of retaining most of them remain slim – especially considering they currently have just over $5 million in spending money.
One of the biggest names on the list of players likely to walk this offseason is left tackle, Alejandro Villanueva. Tackle is one of the most important positions in football, and one of the hardest to find. With Villanueva expected to cash in big with a contract that could exceed $16 million per season, according to Spotrac.com, here are four options at left tackle for the Steelers in 2021:
Chukwuma Okorafor
Chukwuma Okorafor got the chance to start for the Steelers after Zach Banner went down in Week 1 against the Giants with an ACL tear. Unfortunately, it wasn’t always smooth sailing for the young offensive tackle. Pittsburgh drafted Okorafor knowing that he was going to be a bit of a project, but his athletic traits had them intrigued.
While his 2020 performance didn’t exactly give us a boost of confidence, Okorafor has a chance to be the next man up at left tackle for the Steelers. The former third-round pick really struggled against power on the right side, but he does have excellent foot quickness, and his skill set is probably better suited to play on the left side. Okorafor may never pan out to be the tackle Pittsburgh hoped for when they drafted him, but he seems to be a likely candidate to fill in for Villanueva in 2021.
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.
Dillon Radunz
This one might be a bit of a longshot, as there’s certainly no guarantee that the Steelers land a player like Dillon Radunz in the NFL Draft this April; however, it won’t be for a lack of interest. Though Oklahoma center Creed Humphrey was working out at the same time as Radunz, Pittsburgh sent offensive line coach Adrian Klemm to North Dakota State instead of Oklahoma.
With Villanueva’s inevitable departure, drafting an offensive lineman is something that will be high on Pittsburgh’s to-do list this April, and Radunz is a guy they have expressed a lot of interest in. Their coaches got a particularly good look at him during Senior Bowl week when he was given the Overall Practice Player-of-the-Week Award in Mobile.
Of course, there are numerous directions the Steelers could go in the draft, and this would mean that Radunz must fall to them in the second round (pick 55 overall) this year. There are a lot of factors that hinge on this, but it isn’t out of the question that Pittsburgh could be starting a rookie at left tackle in 2021. However, I get the feeling that Ben Roethlisberger is going to want someone he is a little more comfortable with.
Matt Feiler
Matt Feiler has been around the league since 2014 and has started at several different positions. However, one thing has never done is play left tackle. Feiler is clearly a smart and versatile player, and he proved to be one of the better right tackles in the league just two seasons ago, but playing on the left side is a whole different game.
There’s no guarantee the Steelers get Feiler back, as he is also an unrestricted free agent this offseason, but he would provide stability and security at multiple positions on the offensive line, and he already has a good report with Big Ben.
Feiler has started 39 games for the Steelers over the past three seasons, but if he ends up playing left tackle for them this year, it probably means that they didn’t have any other good options or that they didn’t believe Chukwuma Okorafor was capable of doing so. Either way, it would not be an ideal situation for Feiler to return to play left tackle, but it’s within the realm of possibility.
Whatever the Steelers decide to do to replace Alejandro Villanueva, we know that the funds will be limited. There are a few in-house options to do so, but I would have to assume that Pittsburgh will at least look to bring in some outside help to fill the void. Let’s hope it’s enough.