The reigning AFC North champions were cap-strapped this offseason and relied on the draft to add talent. Here are five players who might not figure in 2021.
It has been an offseason of holding on for dear life, per say. There wasn’t a lot of player movement when it came to the Black and Gold unless you consider their free agent departures. The Pittsburgh Steelers were salary-cap strapped the last few months and are hoping that their nine draft picks can all come through this year.
Mike Tomlin’s club will look quite differently this year at several spots. That includes offensive coordinator, where Matt Canada takes over for Randy Fichtner. So what five players currently with the franchise won’t be around for the season opener at Buffalo?
5. P Jordan Berry
Talk about stating the obvious? The last of the Steelers’ nine draft choices this year was punter Pressley Harvin III, taken with the 254th overall selection. The former Georgia Tech standout was the 2020 Ray Guy Award winner, given to the best performer at his position in collegiate football.
The 5-foot-11, 263-pound prospect will challenge veteran Jordan Berry, who was pushed aside last season in favor of Dustin Colquitt. But the latter was released after five games in 2020 and the former returned for what would be his sixth season with the Steelers. Berry actually averaged a career-best 45.8 yards per kick this past season.
4. RB Kalen Ballage
This offseason, the team didn’t sign a lot of veterans due to their salary cap issues. But they did add running back Kalen Ballage aboard via a one-year, $920,000 contract (via Spotrac) a month before the draft. Originally a fourth-round draft choice by the Miami Dolphins in 2018, he didn’t really log a lot of playing time out of the backfield while in South Florida.
In ’19, he actually started six games for Brian Flores’ team and scored three touchdowns but ran for only 135 yards on 74 carries. He began this past season with the Jets but finished with the Chargers. The Steelers have first-round pick Najee Harris as well as “juniors” Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland in the backfield.
3. QB Josh Dobbs
The franchise has been seemingly looking for a successor behind veteran Ben Roethlisberger the last few years. The backup that has seen the most playing time in recent years has been 2018 third-round pick Mason Rudolph, who was the primary fill-in for Roethlisberger in ’19 when he missed the final 14 games.
Rudolph also started the team’s 2020 season finale at Cleveland and threw for 315 yards and two scores (1 interception) in a 24-22 loss. Earlier this year, the Steelers added former Washington first-round pick Dwayne Haskins. Josh Dobbs, dealt to Jacksonville in 2019 but back with the team in ‘20, re-signed this offseason but may struggle to retain a roster spot.
2. WR Ray-Ray McCloud
Is there a team in the league richer at the wide receiver position than the Black and Gold? Four-year pro JuJu Smith-Schuster – who hauled in 97 receptions in 2020 – re-upped with the club this season via a one-year deal (via Spotrac). Despite some issues with drops, Diontae Johnson is a talented performer and there’s three-year pro James Washington, who caught only 30 passes this past season but five for scores.
Then there’s Chase Claypool, who led Mike Tomlin’s team with 11 total touchdowns – catching 62 passes for 873 yards. Ray-Ray McCloud provided a spark on special teams but has also played for three teams in as many seasons. Is he on the bubble?
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1. DT Chris Wormley
When people speak of standout defensive lines, there’s a tendency to lean toward the four-man fronts opposed to the men who anchor the front of the 3-4. The Steelers have had their share of standouts in the three-man lineup. Earlier this century, there was a lot of ends Aaron Smith and Brett Kiesel and nose tackle Casey Hampton.
These days, veteran Tyson Alualu is flanked by two-time All-Pro Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt – the latter with 11 sacks in 2020. Last offseason, the Steelers gave a fifth-round pick to Baltimore for defensive tackle Chris Wormley. He didn’t make an impact in ‘20 and the team has added young defensive linemen in their recent drafts.