A glimpse into future?
Steelers have gone through their own growing pains
The upcoming Monday Night Football game between the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers may not be the sexiest matchup on the NFL’s most significant weekly stage.
But the game could offer football fans a glimpse into the growing pains NFL teams experience trying to reach their potential.
The 0-6 Dolphins will visit the 2-4 Steelers, led by longtime coach Mike Tomlin, who has had to deal with a season-ending injury to franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in Week 2 and the departures of standout playmakers Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown during the offseason.
Don’t expect the Steelers to look pass the winless Dolphins, especially in prime time on ESPN.
“Are you familiar with our record and journey to this point? You know, we’re not in position to overlook anybody. We’re a fragile group,” Tomlin said succinctly during a conference call on Wednesday, when asked if his team would take the Miami lightly.
“We’re dealing with similar circumstances. From that standpoint, it’ll be a level playing field on Monday night.”
The Dolphins, led by first-year coach Brian Flores and general manager Chris Grier, are in the midst of a rebuilding process where this season has served as an opportunity to identify building blocks and develop depth for the future.
And Miami’s future could be bright if it hits on its high picks in future NFL drafts, where the Dolphins own 11 picks in the first three rounds drafts.
Tomlin and the Steelers have made the most of their draft opportunities in recent years — and perhaps, more importantly — kept most of those players on their roster.
Of Pittsburgh’s 27 homegrown players drafted by the team, 17 were selected in the first three rounds — with six third-round picks from the past three drafts boosting that figure.
Of the Dolphins’ 21 homegrown players, only nine were drafted in the same time frame.
Receiver Juju SmithSchuster and running back James Conner were secondand third-round picks for the Steelers in 2017, and have emerged as valuable starters for Tomlin since Bell and Brown departed.
So has 2018 third-round quarterback Mason Rudolph, who has replaced Roethlisberger in the lineup and is expected to start Monday night after suffering a concussion in Week 5.
“We’re always drafting for competition, depth and future,” said Tomlin, who reiterated the school of NFL draft thought that teams hope to draft starters in the first three rounds.
“We primarily build our team through the draft. in 2020 and 2021
We’re not heavy players in free agency by nature. Those are always our thoughtful intentions.”
Pittsburgh still has all but two first-round draft picks since 2010 on its 2019 roster.
That’s eight players in total the Steelers have drafted and cultivated, including former Florida Gators center Mike Pouncey (2010), former Miami Hurricanes cornerback Artie Burns (2016), and former Flanagan High standout linebacker Devin Bush (the 10th pick in the 2019 draft).
Former Plantation High standout Ryan Shazier (2013), who suffered a career-ending spinal injury, and former linebacker Jarvis Jones (2014), who was not re-signed in 2016 and retired before the 2017 season, are the only exceptions.
The Dolphins only have three of their own firstround picks still on the roster: wide receiver DeVante Parker (2015), who leads Miami with three touchdowns this season, defensive end Charles Harris (2017) and defensive tackle Christian Wilkins (2019).
The Steelers won two of their past three games with their young core before their bye last week, and could begin to hit their stride against the Dolphins.