Five questions to ponder as OTAs begin this week
The 2018 Steelers season ended when they gathered on the Heinz Field grass and watched C.J. Mosley intercept Baker Mayfield. The Ravens delivered the final blow to the Steelers from four hours away, but make no mistake, the Steelers suffered from self-inflicted wounds over the final weeks of the season.
The weeks that followed weren’t any better as Antonio Brown orchestrated his escape from the Steelers, played out in excruciatingly slow fashion. The offseason was as much of a soap opera as their tumultuous regular season, and now it’s finally coming to an end.
This week the Steelers begin organized team activities, and they represent the beginning of a new chapter for the Steelers and a chance to move with a new group of players.
The Steelers will have 10 voluntary OTAs plus a mandatory three-day minicamp over the next month before training camp begins in late July. Here are five questions to ponder as the team begins preparations for the coming season:
1
What will Big Ben say and do?
Last we heard from Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was in the locker room moments after the season ended Dec. 30. In the past four-plus months, Roethlisberger has watched quietly as former teammates and others disparaged his name. Brown said, among other things, that Roethlisberger had an “owner’s mentality.” Le’Veon Bell criticized his leadership style, telling Sports Illustrated that Roethlisberger wants to win “his way” and “now he’s at the stage where he tries to control everything.” Their friends in the national media sung in chorus, piling on and taking shots at the two-time Super Bowl winner. Roethlisberger hasn’t said a word about any of it publicly. When the Steelers signed him to a contract extension last month before the draft, there was no news conference. On Tuesday, Roethlisberger will have an opportunity to respond not only to his detractors but to how the significant changes within the offense will affect him and the team as he enters his 16th season. Roethlisberger didn’t win a Super Bowl with Brown and Bell, but he enjoyed the best statistical seasons of his career with them. For all of Brown’s warts — and there were many — he developed a unique chemistry with Roethlisberger, who completed 100 or more passes to Brown in each of the past six seasons, an NFL record. Roethlisberger and JuJu Smith-Schuster are developing their own chemistry, to be sure. Smith-Schuster led the Steelers in receptions and yards last season, but this is an important spring for the other receivers that will be vying for roles in the offense. Making connections and developing relationships with them in the next few weeks could go a long way toward ensuring the offense doesn’t miss a beat come September.
2
Which brings us to … who is the No. 2 receiver?
Three players will be competing to start opposite Smith-Schuster. James Washington, last year’s second-round pick, is the only one who has ever caught a pass from Roethlisberger. The other two — free agent Donte Moncrief and rookie third-round pick Diontae Johnson — are new to the team. A year ago, when Washington was a rookie, he did not work much with Roethlisberger, who took part in the first OTA and then opted not to participate in most of the rest due to a family vacation. Washington finished his first season with just 16 catches for 217 yards and most of those came late in the season after he struggled to get involved in the offense early on. Moncrief was signed to be a deep threat. He has 200 career receptions and more than 2,500 yards in his first five NFL seasons. He caught 48 passes for 668 yards last season for Jacksonville. The dark horse is Johnson, the No. 66 overall selection in the draft a couple of weeks ago. He enters his rookie season with a reputation as an elite route runner and a slippery runner after the catch. It’s hard for rookies to contribute, much less start, but Smith-Schuster proved two years ago that first -year receivers can do big things with Roethlisberger. He had 58 catches for 917 yards and seven touchdowns. Thirty nine of those catches came in his final seven games once he got acclimated to the NFL. This is exactly why the Steelers need Washington and Moncrief to hit the ground running this summer. It’s not realistic to expect Johnson to follow in SmithSchuster’s footsteps. Now more than ever, at least for the Steelers’ skill players, football in shorts seems like it carries some importance.
3
Will Devin Bush line up with the starters?
The Steelers didn’t trade up 10 spots in the draft to have Bush sit the bench as a rookie. He was drafted for a specific reason — to add speed and coverage ability to a linebacker group that was exposed by opposing quarterbacks a season ago. When the Steelers selected Ryan Shazier with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2014 draft, he lined up with the starters on the first day of OTAs. Vince Williams, who had started 13 games as a rookie in 2013, was the odd man out. Now Williams is entering his seventh season, with 47 career starts on his resume, and he’s making $6.2 million per season on a contract that spans two more years. Mark Barron, a former safety who has transitioned to a hybrid linebacker role, was signed to a two-year, $12 million deal in March to help stabilize the middle of the defense. At his introductory news conference, Barron said he expected to be a three-down player for the Steelers. No matter how it unfolds this spring and into the summer, it appears the coaches will have to do some juggling and massaging of some egos. With the Steelers playing in subpackages 75 percent of the time last season, Williams could again be the odd man out even though he remains useful as a run-stopper and pass rusher. It will be interesting to see how the Steelers proceed with Bush. He’ll be a starter soon rather than later, but how he is introduced to the team could determine how quickly it happens.
4
Who will be the starting right tackle?
The Steelers traded longtime starter Marcus Gilbert to the Cardinals, opening the way for a three-way competition. Gilbert had owned that job for the past eight seasons, although injuries forced him to miss 20 games over the past two. Matt Feiler started 10 games in Gilbert’s place last season and performed well. But the Steelers believed guard, not tackle, was Feiler’s best position before last season. Perhaps that is why coach Mike Tomlin said there will be an open competition for the spot. Also vying for the job will be Chukwuma Okorafor and Jerald Hawkins. Okorafor made one start as a rookie when Feiler was injured. He was a third-round pick last year and oozes potential. He’s still only 21 years old. Hawkins, a fourth-round pick in 2017, spent a second consecutive year on injured reserve. He had shoulder surgery as a rookie and quad surgery last year after being injured during OTAs. This could be a make-or-break year for Hawkins as he tries to find his footing in a crowded tackle group that also includes Zach Banner, who was signed during training camp last summer and made the 53-man roster. This competition won’t be won until training camp, but the distribution of reps this spring could be telling.
5
Will Steven Nelson stabilize the secondary?
The Steelers don’t usually spend big in free agency, but they felt the need to write a big check this year after 2016 first-round pick Artie Burns had to be benched early last season. The Steelers signed Nelson to the richest contract ever for an outside free agent — a three-year, $25.5 million deal to start opposite Joe Haden. Nelson started all 16 games for the Chiefs last season and had four interceptions. That type of ball-hawking is desperately needed in the Steelers secondary. They had just eight interceptions last season, tying a 58-year old franchise record for futility. The Steelers actually had a top-10 pass defense last season in terms of yards allowed, but they limped down the home stretch. Philip Rivers, Drew Brees and Derek Carr shredded the secondary as the Steelers choked away first place in the AFC North and a playoff berth in the final month of the season. It was one thing for Rivers and Brees to slice through the Steelers, but it was another for Carr to do it. Carr, who managed just four victories all season, threw for 322 yards in a comeback win that crippled the Steelers’ playoff hopes. It’s been a while since the Steelers had two quality corners paired together. If Nelson is the real deal, the Steelers defense could get back to being one of the top units in the league.