Kevin Colbert had a lot to do before retiring after the draft and his final offseason brought some interesting moves for the Steelers.
Kevin Colbert was one of the best General managers in the history of the Steelers franchise. He was able to make a name for himself in the NFL world in different organizations before returning to his hometown team. It took him a while, but eventually he became the General manager.
Under the direction of him and Head Coach Mike Tomlin, there was no season short of a below .500 record. They were able to keep the black and gold winning football games on a routine basis. They were also able to help this team win another championship and go to another Super Bowl, which they lost.
He is now retired after a long offseason process played out. The team was active in free agency, which is not a very common occurrence for the Steelers. He had a nice retirement tour as he created a good roster that has a better chance than many would like to give them credit for.
Colbert had a long storied career with the Steelers
Colbert started his professional career with the Miami Dolphins as one of their college scouts. He lasted there for a handful of years before he moved up the ranks and became the Lions director of pro scouting. That was a significant upgrade for his career and things only seemed to get better from there.
After Detroit, he was hired onto his hometown team as the director of football operations. He would be with the Steelers for over two decades and eventually became the General manager in 2010. He helped this team win many games in what seems to be a Hall of Fame career.
Colbert made some re-signings of his own to being these Steelers back
Chukwuma Okorafor re-signed: 3 years, $29.25 million, Grade: B-
This signing was not popular, especially the moment the news broke. Chuks Okorafor has been a project tackle for many years and finally got a starting job with the Steelers after Zach Banner got hurt and lost his career. This tackle is still young and can grow his game some more. That is the main reason why Pittsburgh decided to re-sign him, well that and there were no other replacements out there.
Dwayne Haskins re-signed: 1 year, $2.54 million, Grade: N/A
Dwayne Haskins seemed like he was primed to have a small chance at being the starting quarterback when he signed this deal. He would have been given a legit shot to make the final roster, and probably would have. Sadly, his life was cut short in a terrible accident and the world will never know what life had in store for him.
Arthur Maulet re-signed: 2 years, $3.85 million, Grade: C+
Arthur Maulet was one of the worst defensive backs for the Steelers in 2021. He was brought back for depth at the slot corner position, but he just has not done great things in the black and gold uniform. He brings depth and it’s not breaking the bank, but there could have been better options available.
Montravius Adams re-signed: 2 years, $5 million, Grade: C+
Montravius Adams found a home in Pittsburgh after sticking to practice squads before that. He played well filling in at the nose tackle spot for this defense later in the season. He held his own and deserved to come back and at least provide solid depth.
Miles Killebrew re-signed: 2 years, $4 million, Grade: C
Miles Killebrew was the only safety under contract on the roster other than Minkah Fitzpatrick early in the offseason process. He has been a solid contributor on special teams for a while for the Steelers and brings depth. He has not developed too well as a safety, but he earned this deal with his special teams play.
Terrell Edmunds re-signed: 1 year, $2.5 million, Grade: B+
Terrell Edmunds has been the starting strong safety since the day he got drafted by the Steelers. He has become one of the best at his position and deserved to get paid this past offseason. That did not happen, and he returned to Pittsburgh on a prove-it contract, which is a steal for a solid starter.
Ahkello Witherspoon re-signed: 2 years, $8 million, Grade: B
Ahkello Witherspoon was behind the eight ball for this franchise for a while after being traded here. The Steelers saw some reward from his game as he completed the season in a starting caliber role with the club. He had a great last couple of weeks, and this is a cheap gamble for a starter at the cornerback spot.
Overall re-sign grade: B-
Overall, Colbert did a good job of getting players re-signed with the team on some relatively team-friendly deals. The Edmunds signing was one of his best during the entire offseason when it comes to the price and demand of the job. He also kept depth at different spots and kept his priorities in the right spot.
Colbert kept the Steelers active during free agency
Myles Jack signed 2 years, $16 million, Grade: B
Myles Jack was brought on board after he was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He is trying to recollect his career after being one of the top players at his position for most of his span in the league.
The Steelers took a small gamble on him, and it should turn out better than the Joe Schobert experience did. Jack has not been the same elite player as his name carries for the past couple of seasons, but being in a quality defense should help.
James Daniels signed 3 years, $26.5 million, Grade: A
James Daniels was a huge win in free agency for Pittsburgh. They signed him to a reasonable contract after he became one of the best guards in the NFL since coming out of Iowa. He should be a huge upgrade over last year’s starter and get this offensive line rebuilt quickly. He should be able to help those around him better as well with his presence as a leader.
Mason Cole signed 3 years, $15.75 million, Grade: B-
Mason Cole was the other big offensive line free agent that the Steelers signed rather quickly when free agency began. Their worst-ranked run attack on offense in 2021 should start to fade away as they head into this season. Cole is not as much of a slam dunk upgrade as Daniels is, but his position flexibility and experience should help move this line in the right direction.
Gunner Olszewski signed 2 years, $4.20 million, Grade: C+
Gunner Olszewski comes over to the club after being with the Patriots franchise originally. He was able to become one of the better return men in the NFL during his time there. The Steelers will hope that he can continue that here and this will also provide Diontae Johnson with special team’s snaps.
Levi Wallace signed 2 years, $8 million, Grade: B
Levi Wallace is another player that is young and brings a wealth of starting experience in the league. Pittsburgh signed him and this could be a good starting tandem between him and Witherspoon if they pan out. Wallace is better off as a second outside corner on a good defense and that will be the mindset heading into the year.
Mitch Trubisky signed 2 years, $14.285 million, Grade: B
Mitch Trubisky was the big name signing for the black and gold when the flood gates opened on the new league year. He was brought on for a reasonable price, which was less than most projected to occur. He will probably be the starter to begin the season and the club will need to see how things stand game by game.
Overall free agency grade: B
Overall, this was a good free agency class for Kevin Colbert on paper. Normally the Steelers would not be this active in free agency, but they had too many holes to fill. Mix the need to act with the amount of cap space, and you get this result of solid veterans that will provide competition and a competitive roster.
Colbert finished his last days by wrapping up his final draft class
Kenny Pickett, first round, Grade: B
Kenny Pickett was somewhat of a surprising pick at the time. Not because of what position he plays, but because many insiders did not connect Pickett and the Steelers that much heading into the draft.
Many had them going quarterback, but many thought of different names leading up to the event. They got a rookie that is most ready for the NFL when you compare him to the other rookies that were coming out.
George Pickens, second round, Grade: B+
George Pickens is a player that would have been a first-round pick if he were not out with injury for most of this past college season. He has all the talent in the world and just needs to work on his craft to perfect it. He is raw, but he could develop into a star player if he takes to coaching well at the next level and keeps a level head on the field.
Demarvin Leal, third round, Grade: A-
DeMarvin Leal was one of the best-valued picks in this past draft. Many thought that he would go at some point in the second round, but he started to slip. The Steelers lucked out and got him with their third-round selection and it looks like a steal. He still needs work before he starts games, but his potential is through the roof.
Calvin Austin III, fourth round, Grade: B
Calvin Austin III could have been a third-round selection, but the Steelers got him in the fourth round. He is a speedy player that has played a lot of snaps in the slot during his time at the collegiate level. This was another value pick by Pittsburgh, and it strengthened the depth behind the starters.
Connor Heyward, sixth round, Grade: C-
Connor Heyward brings a nice story along with him as he is the brother of fellow Steelers player, Cam Heyward. It brings a nice feeling with the pick, but it does not make too much sense as a team. He played mostly full back in college and they kind of already have what he brings with Derek Watt.
Mark Robinson, seventh round, Grade: C
Mark Robinson was another player that showed some potential in college and was drafted off his ceiling. He is a former running back and has only been playing the position of linebacker for a limited time. The hope is he can play special team’s well, while he develops into a starting player on defense.
Chris Oladokun, seventh round, Grade: D
Chris Oladokun will not be a starting quarterback in the NFL, but he could become a Josh Dobbs kind of player. This pick just made little to no sense as they could have just signed a camp arm through the undrafted free agency process. Kevin Colbert decided for Oladokun to be his final draft pick in his career for better or worse.
Overall draft grade: B-
It was an overall decent draft for Colbert in his swan song from the event. At least on paper, everything looks to be a solid outing for him and his front office. They got nice value with their picks and potentially their next franchise quarterback as they hope to leave the team in good hands.
Overall, the Steelers are better now than at the beginning of the offseason
Kevin Colbert can finally rest and enjoy retirement, with a small stipulation. He will be taking on a small position in the front office as many assume that he will be taking on an advisory role. He had a lot to figure out heading into the offseason.
The puzzle in front of him after the Steelers were eliminated in the playoffs was one of the most challenging in many years. There were unquestionable holes in the roster and the need to find reliable replacements was there. He had enough picks in the draft and a good chunk of spending cash to figure things out.
He wanted to leave the team in good shape once he stepped down and he did that for the most part. Colbert was able to add both quality and quantity at different positions and give this roster competitive players littered across it. It was a challenging offseason, and the true results of his moves will be determined when games are played.
Overall Offseason grade: B-
It was a good effort by Colbert and his front office as they knew the end was nearing as the offseason went on. He was able to plug holes at starting spots and gave the future of this team some openness with the types of contracts he offered. Overall, it was a nice retirement tour for him on paper, the true results will be determined over the next season.
Kevin Colbert will always be a legendary General manager for the Steelers. He has been able to create another competitive roster for the upcoming 2022 season, even though he has retired from his post.