3 surprise cuts the Steelers can make this offseason

1. ILB Joe Schobert

This is less of an indictment of the veteran linebacker’s play and more so with his contract and his cap hit this upcoming season (via Spotrac).

One-time Browns’ standout Joe Schobert was a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020. He inked a five-year, $53.75 million deal with the latter after four years with Cleveland. He finished with a team-best 141 tackles with the Jaguars, along with 2.5 sacks, three interceptions and a pair of forced fumbles.

But the Steelers were able to pick up Schobert last August and only gave up a sixth-round pick in 2022. He finished second on the club with 112 stops, to go along with six passes defensed and one interception.

But it’s worth noting that the Steelers finished dead last in the league in rushing defense this past season and former first-round pick Devin Bush hasn’t looked the same since injuring his knee early in 2020.

Schobert’s pass-coverage skills are hard to ignore. And this could very easily be a case of a player that is released by the team and later brought back after the start of the 2022 NFL fiscal year begins on March 16. This bears watching over the next six weeks and perhaps beyond.