Now let's look forward to the off-season, free agency and the draft. Here is a positional analysis for the Steelers:
Offense
QB - The QB position is obviously set. The backup position will be interesting though. I think Leftwich will be offered a good contract, and will leave. The Steelers will have Ben, Batch and Dixon on the roster next year.
RB - After spending a 1st round pick on Mendenhall, the Steelers will be OK at RB next year. Look for Moore, Davis and Russell to return. However, Russell might be on the bubble if they do not keep 5 RBs. Hopefully, the goal line offense gets better with Mendenhall. I'd like to see a blocking upgrade at the FB position, but I do not think we'll see that.
WR - Obviously Ward and Holmes will be back. After that, things get interesting. Nate is an UFA after this year, and it is unknown whether he will get an offer worth considering from somewhere else. If Nate thinks Sweed will challenge him for the #3WR spot, and he gets a decent offer, he might be gone. If he stays, the competition at the #3WR spot will be intense. If Sweed matures a bit, the Steelers will have good depth and a formidable 4WR set.
TE - No issues here. Dekker won't be back, but Heath, Spaeth and McHugh will man this position just fine. McHugh will have to be re-signed, but he'll come pretty cheap.
OT - Now things get interesting. I'm 99.9% sure that Marvel will not be re-signed. It is a shame, but his back is just too tweaked to be reliable. Colon is a RFA, so either they'll give him the highest 1 year offer (no one will give up a 1st and a 3rd), or they'll get him into a 3-4 year contract. Starks is an interesting one to watch too. Some people have been clamoring to sign Gross from Carolina, but he'll get the franchise tag. They let Smith walk, so they will try to re-sign Starks for 2-3 years. They will use Essex as the backup LT. The backup RT will depend on the draft, or might just be Hills.
OG - More intrigue. Kemo is up. I think Kemo gets a new contract, but for reasonable money. Hopefully, he works on his pass pro in the off-season. If Simmons comes back well from his Achilles injury, they might NOT re-sign Kemo, and they might move Simmons to LG. Stapleton has done a decent job, but lacks the size and strength to go against big DTs. Good in pass pro. If you could combine Stapleton and Kemo, you'd have a pretty good OG. I think OG is one of the positions that the Steelers will address on the first day of the draft, maybe even Rd 1 if the prospect is good enough.
C - Hartwig has done a good job so far. I think the Steelers will be looking for a future center in the draft, particularly the 1st and 2nd rounds. This happened to Hartwig when Carolina took Kalil.
Defense
DL - The Steelers DL is quality, but is aging. I think they will draft on day 1 here. Roye got his ring and will retire, opening up a roster space. Look for a DE to be taken in rounds 2-3.
OLB - No issues, except for maybe giving Harrison more money. Some of the backups are UFAs, but I do not think that is a big deal as they will be eager to re-sign or will be easily replaced. Hopefully, Bruce Davis can get some things together and contribute next year.
ILB - There are rumors that Foote wants to go to Detroit. I think that would be OK. I think Timmons is now ready to play inside. Timmons is not the ideal mac backer, so look for a player to be drafted for the future mac position. Farrior will stay at the buc position until he retires, and then Timmons will take his spot. Look for Humpal to make it from the practice squad and be a backup ILB. I think Fox gets re-signed for ST and as a backup.
CB - McFadden will not get a big offer as a UFA, and he will be back with the Steelers. Other than some backups and ST players, there will not be a lot of movement here.
S - Anthony Smith is really the question mark here. As a RFA, will he be given an offer? I think so, but he seems to be in Tomlin's doghouse...or at least toward the bottom of the depth chart. when the Steelers use 3 safeties, they insert Carter. Does an OK job on ST though.
Special Teams
K - No changes.
P - Thank goodness Sepulveda comes back. Berger is gone and can retire with a ring. Good for him.
Draft Needs
Here are the Steelers needs:
1. Interior offensive line - Look for the Steelers to get the best C or OG available with the 32nd pick. They might address this need twice on the first day of the draft.
2. DL depth - Look for the Steelers to address this in the 2nd or 3rd round. Look for some late round picks here too.
3. Kick Returner - The return game for the Steelers has no pop. The Steelers need to draft a DB or a WR that can return kicks. Imagine this team if they can get field position past the 35 once or twice a game. Sometimes, they need to flip the field and take pressure off of the defense.
4. MLB - an ideal mac backer.
We'll look at potential FA signings in a late post.
Enjoy the Championship!!
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