3 biggest regrets from Pittsburgh Steelers 2021 offseason

Steelers regret trading for Joe Schobert

Joe Schobert came to Pittsburgh with high expectations, after the Steelers gave up a sixth-round selection in order to get him. With a Pro-Bowl season on his resume, and a hefty contract after signing a five-year deal worth $53.5 with the Jaguars in 2020, expectations were high for Schobert when joining the Steelers defense.

However, Schobert has not lived up to the hype, as he and Devin Bush have been arguably the league’s most disappointing linebacker unit. Schobert has not been bad, but he hasn’t been great either, he’s just been a mediocre player. While they were only on the books for half of his $7 million salary for this year, mediocre play is not what the Steelers were expecting from a player they gave up a draft selection for.

Had they known this was the level of play they would get from Schobert, the Steelers likely would have passed on this deal and opted to sign a potential second starter or a depth piece at the linebacker position. Either way, Buddy Johnson, their draft selection this year out of Texas A&M, would have seen more playing time, as would Robert Spillane. While Spillane has not played great this year, the combination of Johnson and whatever free agent they brought in could have provided comparable production, for a lesser salary, while also allowing the Steelers to keep their sixth-round selection.

Clearly, the Steelers have some regrets from last offseason. Even though they’ve been a contender this offseason, the three moves above are things that had the Steelers done differently, could have been set up a bit better for this season, as well as the future. The Steelers will enter this offseason looking to cut down on the regrets and have a successful draft and free agency period.