Category: 2020 Steelers offseason

Is continuity the key for the Steelers in 2020?

The Steelers return more than 80 percent of their snaps from last season.

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Turnover is an unstoppable inevitability in the NFL. With the salary cap as it is, players starting and finishing their careers with the same team is practically unheard of. But maintaining as much consistency in a roster is key to consistent success.

ESPN went through and broke down each team for continuity based on the percentage of snaps returning for 2020. According to ESPN, the Steelers will return 82.4 percent of last season’s snaps, which puts them fifth in the NFL and one of only five teams to return more than 80 percent from last season.

The big losses for the Steelers in terms of snaps are guard Ramon Foster, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and linebacker Mark Barron. The three of them combined for 2,252 snaps last season.

In addition, the article talked about turnover at key coaching positions. The Steelers return the heart of their staff with head coach Mike Tomlin coming back as well as all three major coordinators.

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The Steelers face an uphill battle if CBA is voted down

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a world of hurt if the CBA gets voted down

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a league-low $1.6 million in salary cap space heading into free agency. This figure means the freedom to restructure contracts is an absolute priority; however, if the Collective Bargaining Agreement doesn’t pass, Pittsburgh would be in an inconceivable bind.

If the 2020 league year begins without a new labor agreement, the 30 percent rule – a stipulation that governs seasons in which the CBA is expiring – will come into play. This regulation caps year-over-year salary increases at 30 percent and limits how much a team can restructure contracts.

If the CBA is approved, teams will benefit from interim cap flexibility through structuring contracts fortified with bonuses, small first-year cap numbers, and deferred cap ramifications.

For the Steelers, time is of the essence when it comes to keeping as much of a playoff-caliber squad intact. Short of landing an elite, franchise QB before Ben Roethlisberger retires – which the Steelers show no signs of doing – the window to win a championship is about to close. If the CBA does pass, it will allow the team to retain or sign others (B.J. Finney, Nick Vannett) and save them from cutting some key players (Vance McDonald, Zach Banner).

It’s all but official that the Steelers will tag Bud Dupree. According to OvertheCap.com, the cost of the linebacker franchise tag is a cool $16.26 million – placing it on Dupree would put the Steelers over the $14 million salary cap.

Then there comes the issue of JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is still playing on his rookie contract. Since Smith-Schuster was selected in the second round, there is no fifth-year option, and he is eligible to sign a new deal following the 2020 season. Typically, re-signing a Pro Bowl player in the last year of his rookie contract is an offseason priority, but it may take a back seat if a new labor agreement isn’t struck. Not only would the 30 percent rule hinder offseason contract signings, but the concern of a work stoppage could also further complicate the situation.

General manager Kevin Colbert will find a way to resolve this predicament – he always does.

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4 Steelers who could be cap casualties in 2020

These four Steelers could soon become free agents.

(AP Photo/Tom Puskar)

The business of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2020 season has already started. Even though free agency hasn’t officially started, you can bet the front office is hard at work trying to sort out who stays and who goes this offseason.

Here are the four big cap casualties for this offseason.

LB Mark Barron – $5.2 million ($2.8 million dead cap)

Barron was signed as a free agent but has never played up to his contract. He often looks lost out there and his effort is low in comparison to his teammates. With more than $5 million in cap savings and Vince Williams already on the roster, it’s hard to see Barron staying.

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Steelers HC Mike Tomlin open to adding QB coach

Mike Tomlin didn’t seem opposed to some coaching changes in the offseason.

When Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin promoted Randy Fichtner to offensive coordinator, it left a void in the coaching staff. Prior to his promotion, Fichtner had been the team’s quarterbacks coach from 2010-2017. But from 2018 on, Fichtner has tried to fill both roles. However, according to Tomlin, he isn’t opposed to added a dedicated quarterbacks coach for next season.

Doing both was a fairly simple task when it comes to Ben Roethlisberger. It wasn’t like it takes a lot of coaching to keep a future Hall of Fame quarterback on track.

But this season, when Roethlisberger went down with an elbow injury, the whole depth chart fell apart. Despite some flahses, Mason Rudolph didn’t look ready to step into the starting job and once he was injured/benched, Devlin Hodges was lost.

With the clock ticking on Roethlisberger’s career, Pittsburgh must bring in someone to groom the team’s next starting quarterback. Whether or not they are already on the roster is a question for another day.

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Steelers announce a dozen offseason moves for 2020

Pittsburgh started the business of next season on Monday.

The Pittsburgh Steelers 2019 season ended on Sunday afternoon and the business of the 2020 season got started on Monday morning. The team announced the signing of 11 players to futures contracts as well as a two-year contract for a 12th player.

A futures contract is, in essence, a normal contract at vet minimum with the exception it does not take effect until the start of the 2020 NFL year. They are used to help protect guys a team is hopeful about for the upcoming season.

Here are the 11 players the Steelers signed on Monday.

QB J.T. Barrett,

WR Tray Matthews

WR Jamal Custis

WR Quadree Henderson

CB Alexander Myres

RB Ralph Webb

TE Christian Scotland-Williamson

OT Christian DiLauro

OT Derwin Gray

TE Kevin Rader

DE Henry Mondeaux

In addition, the Steelers signed edge rusher Tuzar Skipper to a two-year contract. Skipper was signed to the 53-man roster in November from the New York Giants practice squad. He was the star of the Steelers preseason but didn’t make the final roster at the start of the season.

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