There will be plenty of changes this offseason for the Black and Gold. But the Pittsburgh Steelers would be wise to bring back these five performers.
These are troubling times for a franchise that has lost four consecutive playoff games for the first time in team history.
It’s shaping up as a different type of offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has not officially retired yet but that seems to be only a formality. And there’s talk, again nothing official, that defensive coordinator Keith Butler could retire. And general manager Kevin Colbert is planning on stepping down after the 2022 NFL Draft.
Nevertheless, the team must go on. Decisions must be made on their 16 potential unrestricted free agents (via Spotrac). So could these five performers return for another season and beyond? It’s worth noting that the 2022 salary cap figures stand at $208.2 million – up considerably from a year ago ($182.5 million).
5. S Terrell Edmunds
He was the club’s first-round pick in 2018. But as NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported back in May, the Steelers did not pick up the fifth-year option on safety Terrell Edmunds. But could the team re-sign the four-year pro to an economic one-year deal this offseason?
The former Virginia Tech standout comes off arguably his most complete season. Edmunds finished third on the team with 89 tackles. He managed one sack, six passes defensed and a pair of interceptions. If there are indeed changes on the Steelers’ defensive coaching staff, his return would ensure a little continuity.
4. WR James Washington
The franchise has had few problems when it comes to drafting wide receivers. In 2018, the Steelers used a second-round pick on Oklahoma State standout James Washington. His four-year resume may be a bit underwhelming. But he offers something that the team could certainly use more of and that’s the big play.
In four seasons, Washington has averaged a solid 14.3 yards per reception. He’s played in 60 regular-season games and caught 111 passes for 1,629 yards and 11 scores. It’s worth noting that his best year came in 2019 when former college teammate Mason Rudolph was the starting quarterback for most of the year. Washington finished with 44 receptions for 735 yards and three touchdowns – averaging 16.7 yards per catch.
3. CB Ahkello Witherspoon
Back in September, the Steelers sent a fifth-round draft choice to the Seattle Seahawks for cornerback Akhello Witherspoon (via NFL.com’s Kevin Patra). And while he didn’t see a lot of action during his early days with the team, he wound up having a pretty good finish for a Steelers’ defense that wound up being pretty underwhelming when it was all said and done.
The five-year pro totaled 15 tackles and a team-high three interceptions in nine regular-season outings with the club. He also tied for the team lead with nine passes defensed. All of those numbers came in Pittsburgh’s final eight regular-season contests in which Witherspoon made three starts. He started on Sunday night at Kansas City and finished with two stops in the Steelers’ 42-21 loss.
2. CB Joe Haden
He made one of the defensive plays of the year for Mike Tomlin’s team. A crucial fourth-down stop on wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine in the closing minutes vs. Tennessee ensured a 19-13 victory over the Titans in Week 15.
Veteran cornerback Joe Haden was a first-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2010. But he has spent the last five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 2021, he played in only 12 games but still finished with 37 tackles, six passes defensed, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
The 12-year pro, who has a dozen takeaways in five seasons with the franchise, is apparently not ready to hang up his cleats and shoulder pads yet.
1. WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
It was a rough year for the team’s top pass-catcher from 2020. Wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster went from totaling 97 receptions for 831 yards and nine touchdowns in 16 regular-season contests to playing in five games and managing only 15 grabs for 129 yards in 2021.
That’s because the five-year pro suffered a shoulder injury in the team’s Week 5 win over Denver. He missed the remainder of the regular season but returned this past Sunday for the team’s wild card clash with the Chiefs. Smith-Schuster totaled five receptions for 26 yards in the team’s 42-21 setback.
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Smith-Schuster has already made it clear that he is more than receptive to a return to the Steel City. That would be a big plus for a team that’s going to look very different in 2022.