Steelers should a sign former All-Pro tackle to replace Chukwuma Okorafor

The Steelers lost Alejandro Villanueva, but here’s why Mitchell Schwartz could give them an upgrade at one of the most important positions.

For some reason or another, the Steelers seem to have misplaced confidence in offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor. I’ve studied his tape last season and did not come away impressed. After Zach Banner went down with an ACL tear in Week 1 against the New York Giants, Okorafor – Pittsburgh’s swing tackle – was asked to step into a full-time role.

Now Banner is fully healthy and will resume his role at right tackle. But with Alejandro Villanueva departed for the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers plan to move Okoraofor to left tackle to start over there.

I’ve talked about this a lot this offseason. In a year where the Steelers are trying to do everything in their power to compete for one last run, why risk rolling with a completely unproven player at one of the most important positions in all of football this year?

Okorafor very well could take a leap forward (and apparently the Steelers expect him to). But if he doesn’t, what then? Pittsburgh needs to have a  plan in place to avert disaster and keep Ben Roethlisberger upright. I think they should call Mitchell Schwartz.

Mitchell Schwartz is one of the best signings Steelers could make

Mitchell Schwartz has flirted with the idea of retiring, but as of now, he remains a viable offensive tackle option in free agency. Though he turns 32 years old in June, he is still playing some outstanding football.

Last year, Schwartz earned a very respectable 74.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. The long-time veteran has been very consistent throughout his NFL career, as he has never graded out worse than the 35th ranked tackle and has never had earned a season grade lower than 72.9.

Schwartz played his rookie contract with the Cleveland Browns before spending the past five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. In 2018, he earned first-team All-Pro honors as one of the top two offensive tackles in all of football.

While Schwartz to the Steelers seems like a match made in heaven, there is some bad news. Schwartz played just 6 games in 2020 as his season ended with a back injury. He took to social media in February claiming that he would be ready to go for the 2021 season, but time will tell.

In addition, Schwartz has always been a right tackle, and the Steelers no doubt would ask him to make a switch to left tackle in Pittsburgh. Still, there is plenty of reason to trust him more than a player like Chukwuma Okorafor, as he has 9 very good seasons under his belt.

There’s also the issue of cost. Because of his reputation, Schwartz could still require a rich contract if he decides to come back. Alejandro Villanueva, who had two Pro Bowls under his belt, earned $7 million per year over the next two seasons, but his 2021 cap hit is just $4.75 million, according to Over the Cap. The Steelers may be able to offer something similar for Schwartz (perhaps even cheaper) and could be getting a better player than what they had last year.

There aren’t a lot of positions on Pittsburgh’s roster that need to be improved, but offensive tackle is one of them. It’s not worth leaving such a big question mark at left tackle this year, and Mitchell Schwartz could be the answer the Steelers need.