Free-agent NT Alualu, 34, is the biggest missing piece
Mustangs slip past Penn Hills despite bad shooting game
Now that the misguided and equally superfluous speculation of J.J. Watt joininghis brothers is over, the Steelers will continue to focus their attention on where it has been all along: What to do with their defensive line.
Specifically, what will they do — perhaps need to do — about re-signing nose tackleTyson Alualu?
Signing Alualu, who is an unrestricted free agent, is the only significant issue facing the Steelers on a three-man defensive line that features two of the best and highest-paid ends in the NFL — Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt. But it doesn’t mean it’s the only issue.
A lack of proven depth, not to mention a scarcity of promising young talent, puts the Steelers in a tenuous position where a significant injury to either Heyward or Tuitt would be crippling to their defense. And that’s why it puts them in the almost untenable positionof having to re-sign Alualu, who is 34 but coming off one of the best seasons of his 11-yearcareer.
And that would be a good idea.
The Steelers have a lot of money invested in Heywardand Tuitt, who are two of the top 12 paid defensive endsin the league. Heyward signed a five-year, $75 million contract in September, then had it restructured last week to create $7.07 million in cap space for 2021. He is coming off his fourth Pro Bowl season in five years and was named secondteamAll-Pro.
Tuitt finally looked like the player who signed a sixyear, $62 million contract in 2017, coming back from a season-ending pectoral muscle injury to register 11 sacks, 10 tackles for a loss and 25 quarterback hits in 2020— all career highs.
As of now, Tuitt’s cap hit of $14.94 million is thirdhighest on the team, behind only Ben Roethlisberger and cornerback Joe Haden. But the Steelers likely will rework his contract to convert his $9 million salary in 2021 into a signing bonus, thereby saving another $4 million-$5 million under the cap.
Two years ago, the Steelers signed Alualu, a former first-round draft choice, to a two-year, $5.75 million contract in free agency to replace Javon Hargrave. Not only should they be able to re-sign him to a similar size contract, they really don’t have much choice because they don’t have a capable nosetackle behind him.
Carlos Davis, last year’s seventh-round draft choice, was used in that role on a limitedbasis because he has the type of size (6 feet 2, 324 pounds) suited to the position. Davis moved ahead of Isaiah Buggs on the depth chart because he is strong and the coaches like how wellhe moves for his size.
That is something that hashindered Buggs, a sixthround draft choice in 2019. Buggs is listed at 6-3, 295, but that might not be an accurate measurement because he has been told to lose weight to help his mobility.
The Steelers likely will not re-sign defensive end Chris Wormley, whom they acquired last season from the Baltimore Ravens. Wormley was hampered by injuries that began in training camp. He appeared in 13 games and registered one sack, one tackle for a loss andthree quarterback hits.
After that, the only backupwith any playing experience is Henry Mondeaux, and most of that came on special teams. Mondeaux played 72 snaps on defense, registering five tackles, one for a loss. His biggest moment was lining up at fullback and throwing akey block on Benny Snell’s 1-yard touchdown run in Tennessee.
The Steelers need to improve the quality of their depth if they want to continue to use the rotation system employed by defensive line coach Karl Dunbar. Otherwise, taking Heyward and Tuitt off the field on a continual basis seems counter-productive.
Drafting defensive linemen in the sixth and seventh rounds isn’t the best prescription. You don’t always find a Brett Keisel doingthat.
The Steelers are likely to address offense in the early rounds of the draft, anything from a running back to offensive tackle to tight end. And their top defensiveneed could be a backup to Alex High smith at outside linebacker or an inside linebacker to eventually pairwith Devin Bush.
But it is time to use the draft to bolster the depth on the defensive line and look for players who can make a rotation system seem like a good idea, not a suspect one. It is not going to happen in the first round, nor should it.
More than likely, the Steelers will wait until the third day to start looking atdefensive line prospects. Players such as Indiana tackle Jerome Johnson (63, 305) or Florida nose tackle Tedarrell Slaton (65, 343) could last that long and be worth a look.
Of course, there is always the possibility of finding a defensive lineman in the free-agent fire sale that is expected to happen with a lot of NFL teams because of the flattened salary cap.
“It’s my job and our personnel department’s job to know when a player gets cut, who that player is and how could he possibly fit into this,” general manager Kevin Colbert said. “We anticipate a lot of players getting cut in the next few weeks as teams come to the realization of what the cap may be.”
Wherever they find it, the Steelers need to improve their defensive line depth. And they might have to start with re-signing Alualu.
Laurel Highlands had a bad shooting game Saturday. But the good news for the Mustangs was that Penn Hills shot even worse.
Penn Hills’ poor shooting allowed Laurel Highlands to get one step closer to another championship game appearance.
Laurel Highlands defeated visiting Penn Hills, 48-41, in a WPIAL Class 5A quarterfinal game. Laurel Highlands, the defending WPIAL champion, will play New Castle Wednesday in the semifinals. Laurel Highlands shot only 33% (16 of 49) for the game and made 25% (3 of 12) from 3-point range. But Penn Hills made only 26% (16 of 61) and 10% ( 3 of 29) from behind the arc. One of the keys to the game was rebounding as Laurel Highlands beat Penn Hills on the boards, 54-35.
Rodney Gallagher, standout sophomore guard for Laurel Highlands (14-3), made only 6 of 18 shots, but still scored 16 points to lead the Mustangs, the No. 3 seed for the playoffs. Deondre Mitchell led Penn Hills (13-5), the No. 6 seed, with 14 points.
More Class 5A
Chartiers Valley 53, Gateway 47: The score was tied at halftime, but Chartiers Valley (21-3) eked out a quarterfinal win. Brayden Reynolds led Chartiers Valley with 19 points. Gateway, trying to make the semifinals for the first time since 2012, finished 9-8.
New Castle 65, Latrobe 51: The victory puts the Red Hurricanes (19-2) into the semifinals for the 11th consecutive season. Latrobe (8-7) fell behind by 13 at halftime and New Castle was never seriously threatened. Sheldon Cox had 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead four New Castle players in double figures. Michael Wells scored 16, Donny Cade 13 and Isiaiah Boice 10.
Class 2A
OLSH 57, Shenango 42: Jake DiMichele had 23 points and Dante Spadafora 22 as Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (19-0) ran its winning streak to 35 games with the quarterfinal win. It was OLSH’s third victory this season against Shenango (16-8). OLSH led, 25-18, at halftime before extending the lead in the final two quarters. DiMichele was 9 of 10 from the free-throw line.
Greensburg C.C. 48, Sewickley Academy 41: Greensburg Central Catholic (15-3) built a 13-point halftime cushion on its way to the win against Sewickley Academy (10-8). The win avenged a seven-point loss to Sewickley Academy on Feb. 23. Dylan Parsons led GCC with 11 points. The win puts the Centurions in a semifinal game for the seventh time since 2011.
Jeannette 83, Winchester Thurston 38: When the two teams met early in the season, Winchester Thurston won by five points. There was a 50point turnaround in the rematch. Jeannette (15-4) jumped to a 28-2 lead after the first quarter and went on to crush Winchester Thurston (9-5). Keith Rockmore scored 19 for Jeannette while Jackson Juzang had 21 for Winchester Thurston.
Sto-Rox 49, Fort Cherry 44: Sto-Rox (11-5) beat Fort Cherry (13-7) for the third time this season and ruined the Rangers’ hopes of making the semifinals for the first time. Corey Simmons had 17 points for Sto-Rox.