While it may not be ideal, the Steelers may be forced to rely more on Finney as a starter in 2021.
The Steelers made the unsurprising decision to bring back former interior option B.J. Finney after the Bengals released him. It was unsurprising, as Finney played with the team for the first five years of his career. There was interest in bringing him back last season, but ultimately, he made more money elsewhere.
With the retirement of Maurkice Pouncey though, the team is suddenly missing a center. While he may not be the best choice, here are the four reasons the Steelers will be starting Finney at center this season.
Other roster options
Simply put, the Steelers have very few options on the roster currently able to play center. Besides the aforementioned Finney, the team’s only other true center is J.C. Hassenauer. While Hassenauer should be commended for the job he did when stepping in as the next man up at the position, he isn’t a player you want starting multiple games. He is fine as a backup, but his lack of size and strength limits his upside long-term.
That leaves the Steelers with Aviante Collins and the recently signed Rashaad Coward as even possibilities due to their interior play. While both players have some positive traits and Coward has started some games, both seem like more natural guards. That means they would have to learn center this offseason. That is quite the expectation. More than likely, both of these guys will be fighting to make the roster, not fighting for the starting center role. That leaves Finney as the only in-house option right now.
Other free agents
If the Steelers wanted to add some legitimate competition or Finney, another free agent could be brought in. In theory, this would give the team some more competition at the position heading into the next training camp. While this could provide a better fix in the short term, there are inherent problems with going this route.
For starters, the center market is drying up rather quickly. Most of the top names have found new homes and the starting capable options past there are few. The most notable name would have to be Austin Reiter, but given his talent, it would be surprising for him to settle with a lower money contract with the Steelers.
Even if he was interested in joining the team, he would want more than the minimum. For a team with limited cap space, signing a second free agent center makes little sense. The Steelers have far too many holes to invest that much in the center position. Finney is the only offseason addition the team will make there outside of the draft.
Can a rookie start
This takes us to the most obvious of areas where the Steelers will target their next center: the draft. This is the logical step, as the team tends to build through the draft as opposed to spending heavily on outside free agents. Don’t mistake what I am about to say as me thinking the Steelers won’t target a center in the draft. It’s quite the opposite, as I fully expect the team to select a center relatively early. The question is, will he be ready to start by week one?
Now, if the Steelers selected a center in the first round, easily that rookie would likely be set up to start early on. The issue is, there isn’t a center worthy of a first-round pick in this draft. The closest first-round talent would be Creed Humphrey, but his lack of reach and struggles in space really set him up as a second-rounder to me. That said, it seems doubtful he would make it to pick 55.
There are a slew of day two picks as well, with options like Trey Hill, Josh Myers, and Quinn Meinerz making up some potential fits. Even if the Steelers drafted one of these names though, they would enter camp behind Finney. Each of them have their own faults, meaning they would be facing an uphill battle to start over Finney. While they could take over eventually, it would likely look more similar to Kevin Dotson last year than it would them just simply entering camp as the starter.
Finney isn’t a bad player
While Finney was a huge disappointment for the Seahawks and Bengals last year, it wasn’t purely based on his talent. According to ESPN, the unique NFL year caused him to scale back his usual training regiment, and it ended up with him entering training camp overweight. He was beat out for the starting center role, benched, and later traded, and then cut at the end of the season. While it is concerning to hear those reports, he should realize this season that his chances will run out if he fails with the Steelers.
As well, it would be unfair to look past the solid play he had with the team before departing last season. Finney was the first man off the bench along the interior, and he looked talented in the 13 games he started for the Steelers during his time here. While never elite, the team had a lot of trust in him. All bets are off this time around but don’t be surprised when he enters camp in great shape and has positive reports coming out of camp.
Remember, he cried when he signed with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2015. This is his favorite team, and while 2020 was a setback for him, he has no more excuses this time. All of this is setting itself up for a great redemption story for Finney. Unless a center is taken in the first, don’t be surprised if Finney holds onto his starting role for longer than most expect.
While most fans wanted to see Finney return, many are already counting on him only serving as a reserve this season. While a rookie will be brought in, the team has a level of comfort with Finney. Assuming he comes into camp in good shape and ready to play, the job may be his for the taking. Don’t be surprised if Finney is the week one starter and holds onto the role longer than most expect right now.