Tag: Steelers Offseason

One insider offers scary thought on T.J. Watt

The Steelers have some huge contract decisions to make this offseason.

Ever since the Pittsburgh Steelers selected T.J. Watt in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft, his trajectory has been nothing but up. Aside from one season hampered by injury, he’s been one fo the best defensive players in the NFL from the jump.

This is why the next offseason could be huge for Watt and the Steelers. Watt will be heading into the final year of his huge four-year, $112 million contract. Watt just turned 30 and is showing no signs of slowing down. So he will be the team’s top offseason priority, right?

Maybe not. According to Steelers beat writer Gerry Dulac, he doesn’t believe re-signing Watt will be a top Steelers priority.

 

This could be a situation similar to how the Steelers handled Cameron Heyward and his new contract in the past offseason. Pittsburgh and Heyward worked out a deal both sides were happy with but they took it right to the wire. Pittsburgh has some big contract decisions to make this offseason including two at quarterback and one at running back. We can certainly see where Watt’s contract falls behind those, especially with Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig playing so well.

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Steelers RB Najee Harris with one-word answer to new contract talks

Najee Harris made it clear the Steelers have not talked about giving him a contract extension.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris reported to training camp on Wednesday despite not getting his fifth-year extension and no word of any sort of contract negotiations. Of course, just because we haven’t heard about contract talks doesn’t mean they aren’t happening.

But in this case, that’s exactly what it means. Harris slinked into the dorms at Latrobe and dodged the reporters but later returned and talked about all the contract topics. And when he was asked what the Steelers had said to him about a new contract, Harris offered up a concise one-word answer.

“Nothing.”

This really does make one wonder if the Steelers have just moved on from Harris and are just letting him play out the season and then move on.

If this is the case, we might see an expanded role for Jaylen Warren this season as the team prepares for the future or they might just give Harris a heavy workload before he rides off into the sunset.

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Steelers owe it to Minkah Fitzpatrick to get his game on track

The Steelers have put some excellent pieces in place to help Minkah Fitzpatrick.

If you look at the career of Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, it is a series of highs and lows. When Fitzpatrick is able to play his style of football, he’s as good as any defensive back in the NFL. But when he’s forced into playing a box safety, he is all but forgotten by the NFL.

Earlier in the offseason, Fitzpatrick said he just wanted to get back to playing “Minkah Ball” and the Steelers have responded.

The reason Fitzpatrick got forced out of his role as a turnover machine so much over the last three seasons has been a lack of run defense in the front seven. When those guys don’t make plays on early downs, Fitzpatrick is forced into duty and while he answers the call, it is not the best use of his elite skills.

Fitzpatrick had zero interceptions in 2023 after leading the league with six the season before. To help get Fitzpatrick back on track the Steelers signed inside linebacker Patrick Queen to man the middle along with veteran strong safety DeShon Elliott. You add in the healthy return of Elandon Roberts and rookie linebacker Payton Wilson, Fitzpatrick should be able to get back to doing what he does best.

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Steelers earn B grade from ESPN for offseason

The Steelers made a lot of great moves this offseason but trading away Diontae Johnson wasn’t one of them according to ESPN.

The 2024 offseason was a busy one for the Pittsburgh Steelers. General manager Omar Khan made multiple huge moves, most of which were universally praised. This includes the addition of quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, linebacker Patrick Queen and rookie offensive linemen Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier.

However, ESPN wasn’t quite as optimistic about the Steelers offseason. They handed out grades for every NFL franchise based on their offseason additions and losses and for the Steelers, they scored them a B.

The big move they did not like was the Steelers decision to trade away wide receiver Diontae Johnson for cornerback Donte Jackson. Here’s what they had to say about the move:

Trading Johnson for Jackson was an error in my view. While Jackson helps fill the void at corner opposite Joey Porter Jr., Johnson has much higher upside considering the incredible open scores (via our receiver tracking metrics) he has posted in his career — three 90-plus scores in five seasons.
The Steelers also signed linebacker Patrick Queen to a three-year, $41 million contract. Though I didn’t love the move given Queen’s risks — he plays a non-premium position and thrived only once he played next to Roquan Smith — this was a cheaper deal than I expected him to get.

We definitely agree the trading of Johnson was the worst move of the offseason unless you count the non-move of failing to replace him as worse. Keeping Johnson wasn’t as simple as it sounds. He showed a serious lack of commitment to the team last season and head coach Mike Tomlin always says he wants volunteers, not hostages.

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NFL.com names Steelers one of the most improved rosters in league

The Steelers have rebuilt the quarterback and offensive line rooms this offseason.

For the second straight offseason, Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan has worked hard to keep building the roster and help right the wrong of former general manager Kevin Colbert. NFL.com recognized this when they listed the Steelers as one of the most improved rosters in the NFL for 2024.

The Steelers are a no-brainer for a list like this for one obvious reason: They finally have some decent options at quarterback. They’ve been searching for that since Ben Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season and it’s cost them. Few teams have been harder to watch on offense lately than the Steelers. They at least have a chance to be more functional with the additions of Justin Fields and Russell Wilson to the roster. Both of those quarterbacks are best suited to operate with strong running games and it looks like Pittsburgh has every intention of returning to that identity. The Steelers used their first two picks of the draft on offensive linemen — offensive tackle Troy Fautanu and center Zach Frazier — and even wide receiver Roman Wilson, a third-rounder, is as talented at blocking as he is at catching passes. 

The Steelers also added new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith which is the most underrated move of the offseason. Cutting ties with Matt Canada was the right move even if it came too late and paired with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields should make for a much improved Steelers offense.

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