Crunching the numbers
Gerry Dulac breaks down the Joe Schobert acquisition.
Let’s be clear about one thing: Joe Schobert was not brought in to replace Devin Bush in passing situations. He was brought in to strengthen the position next to Bush and to improve the team’s depth by allowing Robert Spillane to assume the role for which he was intended — a quality backup.
And do not confuse the green communication dot with a badge of honor. The Steelers want Schobert to wear it to relay the defensive calls because it’s one less thing Bush will have to worry about. In turn, they think it will allow Bush to play faster and unencumbered.
Don’t forget, the Steelers had T.J. Watt wear the green dot a couple of years ago only to have that experiment last a game because it became a problem for their All-Pro linebacker.
According to sources, one of the reasons the Jaguars were willing to part with Schobert for only a sixthround pick is because they believed he could not run as well as he did when he came into the league in 2016. Does that sound like a player they would consider to replace Bush in passing situations, especially after the lengths the Steelers went to in order to draft Bush with the 10th overall selection in the 2019 draft? Hardly.
The acquisition of Schobert, a Pro Bowl selection in 2017, was a good move by the Steelers. It also gives them insurance in case Bush, who has been given full clearance to return from his ACL surgery, shows he needs a little more time to regain top speed. But do not misinterpret the reason.
Cap talk
Meanwhile, the deal to acquire Schobert looks better and better.
The Steelers have restructured Schobert’s contract that will reduce his salary cap hit in 2021 to $1.744 million, creating nearly $2 million in cap space, according to sources.
Schobert was in the second year of a five-year, $53 million deal he signed with the Jaguars before the 2020 season. He was scheduled to earn $3.65 million in salary with a $200,000 workout bonus in 2021 with the Jaguars, according to Spotrac.com. But his salary was fully guaranteed by the Jaguars and not the responsibility of the Steelers.
But, after the Steelers restructured his contract and added a voidable year in 2025, Schobert will receive $990,000 in base salary in 2021, a restructure bonus of $2,360,000 and a $164,353 roster bonus. That will reduce his cap hit by $1.88 million this season.
Schobert is scheduled to receive $8.75 million in base salary, $300,000 in roster bonus and $200,000 in workout bonus in 2022, creating a cap hit of $9.84 million. That, though, is likely to force the Steelers to either restructure his contract again or release him, especially in a year when they will need to extend the deal of Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Talking about practice
It is perfectly understandable why the Steelers will use Ben Roethlisberger for several series Saturday night against the Lions.
They want him to get acclimated to communicating with coordinator Matt Canada and running his new system in a game situation, even though it won’t be treated like a regular-season game. And Roethlisberger wants to play for that reason, saying, “I think it’s prudent to get as much time as I can under those circumstances.”
But is it really necessary? Roethlisberger will not appear in a game for 22 days after his brief appearance against the Lions. It’s not as though he needs a warm-up with the season right around the corner because, well, the season is not right around the corner. It’s still three weeks away.
He showed last season, when there were no preseason games because of the COVID-19 pandemic, that he was perfectly fine going into the regular season without any warm-up. And don’t forget, there was much apprehension about how he would react coming off of major elbow surgery. But he threw three touchdowns in his first game back and 11 touchdowns with just one interception in his first five games.
Aaron Rodgers hasn’t appeared in a preseason game with the Green Bay Packers since the 2018 season, but it hasn’t affected his performance. He threw 16 touchdowns and three interceptions in his first eight games of the 2019 season and 24 touchdowns with just two interceptions in his first eight games last season. No warm-up.
Getting Roethlisberger a few series with a new system is perfectly reasonable. But all that reasoning goes out the window if something would happen to the most important player on the team — like an injury.
And then the decision to play him in a preseason game wouldn’t be so understandable.