Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 offseason needs
The Pittsburgh Steelers bowed out in the Divisional Round after a 13-3 season and have some needs to take care of this offseason.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the powers of the AFC for a few years now but have yet to turn that into more than one Super Bowl championship. The road is never easy as long as Bill Belichick is in New England but this year saw the Steelers season come crashing down at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Even though a 13-3 regular season record is a great accomplishment, that is not enough for a team that has the talent the Steelers possess.
The mission heading into the 2018 season for Pittsburgh is crystal clear: win a Super Bowl. They have a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger and one of(if not) the best wide receivers in football, Antonio Brown. The defense has stalwart Cameron Hayward and Stephon Tuitt on the defensive line and promising linebacker T.J. Watt.
Pittsburgh also has a cast of secondary players that creates an enviable amount of depth in some spots. Still, there are ways the Steelers must improve during the offseason if they want to hoist the Lombardi. Roethlisberger is nearing the end of his career and Pittsburgh must go all-in to win at least one more championship before they lose their franchise quarterback. One of the first needs on this list will have a big effect on Roethlisberger and the offense as whole.
5. Decide on Le’Veon Bell
Running back Le’Veon Bell is without question one of the most talented players in the NFL. He’s gone over 1,800 yards from scrimmage in back to back seasons and is also a gifted receiver. In fact, he’s had at least 45 receptions in every year he’s played at least 12 games. After playing the 2017 season under the franchise tag, Bell has been very clear about not wanting to do it again. It’s not hard to see his side of the equation. He wants paid like an elite player and to protect himself against injury at a position that by nature is injury-prone.
Most folks are just saying the Steelers need to find money to sign him and be done with it. The Pittsburgh offense certainly knows what he brings to the table. However, there is a reasonable argument to move on from Bell in some fashion and replace him in free agency or the draft.
Now, this isn’t to suggest that Pittsburgh should just let Bell walk away in free agency. It’s the height of foolishness to let a player of Bell’s caliber leave and get nothing back when a team doesn’t have to. Pittsburgh could opt to sing Bell and then trade him to another team who is more interested in signing Bell to the massive extension he desires. It would be a hard decision and Pittsburgh may not get a boatload in return. The best thing the Steelers could get is cap space to spend on upgrades in other areas of the team. With other large contracts already on the books, a huge cap number for Bell could be prohibitive to building the rest of the team.
Pittsburgh did just restructure the contracts of David DeCastro and Tuitt, causing speculation that was done for Bell. That is very possible and the odds seem to favor Bell being a Steeler next season. If Pittsburgh goes another route, a potential fit could be Jerick McKinnon. He’s also a gifted receiver looking for a bigger role than he got in the Minnesota Vikings offense in 2017. He would cost a fraction of what Bell does and could potentially come close to the production Bell put up.