Salary cap game next on schedule
Freeing up money to keep Dupree
Even with Antonio Brown’s $21.2 million cap hit coming off the books this year, the Steelers are flush up against the salary cap as they begin preparations for the new league year in March. They are about $5 million under the cap, but they can create more cap space by cutting players that are under contract and extending others that are entering the final year of their contract.
The Steelers will need to clear much more than that if they want to place the franchise tag on outside linebacker Bud Dupree, whom coach Mike Tomlin said is a “priority” earlier this week at his season-ending news conference.
It won’t be all that difficult for the Steelers to get the cap space that’s needed to sign Dupree, who would account for more than $16 million on the one-year franchise tag.
Cutting players before their contracts expire is one avenue. A few older players are past their prime, and the Steelers would like to trend younger at a few positions. Others might no longer be worth their price tag after uncharacteristically bad seasons. The Steelers also can sign at least one veteran to a new contract that will decrease his 2020 cap hit.
General manager Kevin Colbert, whose contract is up after the April draft, has some difficult decisions ahead of him.
Here is a look at some of the moves the Steelers brass will be considering over the next few weeks:
Candidates to be released
(Salary cap figures according to overthecap.com)
• OL Ramon Foster — Foster will turn 34 next week, and he’s coming off a below-average season. This seems like a no-brainer for a number of reasons. For one, it’s obvious the Steelers have to inject some youth and athleticism into an older line that watched its reputation as one of the best units in the league deteriorate. Foster is the oldest player on the line, and his lack of mobility was evident anytime he attempted to get to the second level to block linebackers in the running game. Also, the Steelers can save $4 million on their salary cap by parting ways with him. The Steelers should have let Foster walk after last season. The decision to re-sign him to a two-year deal was odd because the Steelers never sign older players that are in decline. They can correct the mistake this year by releasing him with one year remaining on his deal.
• LB Anthony Chickillo — The 2019 season was one Chickillo would like to forget. He spent two weeks on the suspended list due to a domestic dispute that was eventually dismissed. On the field, he managed only a half-sack and zero tackles for a loss in 11 games. Chickillo played 124 defensive snaps as the top reserve at outside linebacker. Even if the Steelers don’t place the franchise tag on Dupree, they likely can get as much production out of Ola Adeniyi or Tuzar Skipper. Plus, they’ll save more than $5 million against the cap by cutting Chickillo.
• LB Mark Barron — This is an interesting one. Barron played 766 snaps, almost double the number that Vince Williams played. Barron saw a lot of action for a couple of reasons. The defensive coaches wanted to limit the exposure of rookie Devin Bush because they believed he needed time to grow as a pass defender. Also, Barron is better in coverage than Williams, who is known for his run-stopping abilities. But with Barron counting $8.1 million against the cap in 2020, and with Bush presumably ready to play in all situations, he might be expendable. Plus, he’s 30, and the Steelers can save $5.25 million by releasing him.
• TE Vance McDonald — Another interesting decision. McDonald’s production dipped big time last season. He went from
610 receiving yards to 273 and saw his yardsper-catch average plunge from 12.2 to 7.2. That should be alarming to the coaches. McDonald had trouble getting open against man coverage. The Steelers shouldn’t face as much man coverage when Ben Roethlisberger returns, but Colbert has to decide if his $7.2 million cap hit is too high for a player who not only is on the decline but also has a history of injuries. The Steelers can save $5.6 million by releasing McDonald. Then there is this: He’ll turn 30 in June.
• OL Alejandro Villanueva — Villanueva is entering the final year of his contract, and the Steelers can save $5 million on their cap by cutting him. The down side to that decision would be breaking in a new left tackle when Roethlisberger is coming off an injury. That’s not an ideal scenario. That’s why it’s unlikely to happen, but Villanueva is 31 and the Steelers have to begin thinking about who will be their next left tackle sooner rather than later.
• DL Dan McCullers — The Steelers might want to keep McCullers as a depth player along their defensive line because they are likely to lose Javon Hargrave in unrestricted free agency. But if they believe they can find a better player in the draft, he could be on the chopping block. With a deadcap hit of only $125,000, there is little incentive for keeping McCullers if he’s not in their plans. And while the $1.5 million in cap savings is small, it’s not insignificant. Here’s what they are getting if they keep McCullers: eight tackles, none for loss and no sacks in 131 defensive snaps.
• P Jordan Berry — Another potential move with modest savings. The Steelers can save $1.8 million by cutting Berry, whose fifth season did not end well. There was the fake punt debacle in Arizona, a dropped snap that led to a touchdown in Baltimore and some bad punts against the Bills that cost the Steelers dearly. They’ve been reluctant to go with a different punter in recent years, but the final month of the season might have sealed Berry’s fate this time.
(Note: The Steelers won’t make all of those moves, but if they did, they would clear about $28 million in cap space.)
Candidates for extensions
• WR JuJu Smith-Schuster — One of the more unfortunate aspects of Roethlisberger’s
season-ending injury — other than its obvious impact on the team’s performance — is the Steelers didn’t get a good read on whether Smith-Schuster is an elite No. 1 receiver. An injury-plagued season, coupled with playing with two inexperienced quarterbacks, caused Smith-Schuster’s numbers to steeply decline. One season after catching 111 passes for 1,426 yards, he caught just 42 passes for 552 yards. His numbers undoubtedly will rebound with the return of Roethlisberger, but can he match the production of his first two seasons? In 2017 and 2018, Antonio Brown was getting double-teamed and Smith-Schuster took advantage. It’s not an easy call because SmithSchuster won’t come cheap. The top 10 receivers all make more than $15 million a season. The next 10 all make more than $11 million. Even if Smith-Schuster falls into that second tier of receivers, that’s still going to be a hefty price tag. That is, if SmithSchuster is open to signing a deal this summer. He could bet on himself (and Roeth-lisberger) and hope to cash in with a mega -deal in 2021.
• DL Cam Heyward — He is entering the final year of a five-year deal worth $59.2 million. He’ll count $13.2 million against the cap next year if the Steelers don’t give him a new deal. Heyward, who will turn 31 in May, continues to play at an elite level and is showing no signs of slowing down. The Steelers can decrease his 2020 cap hit with a new contract, though it’s probably smart business to limit the new deal to three or four years.
• LB Bud Dupree — He is a priority for the Steelers, but for how long? If they tag him, they will pay him more than $16 million next season on a one-year deal. Tagging with the intention of signing him to a longterm deal might not be in the cards. That’s because of T.J. Watt, who will command upward of $20 million a year if the Steelers can successfully sign him to a long-term deal in the summer of 2021. There simply might not be enough money to go around when Watt and others have to be highly compensated to retain their services.