Storm- News » With the 2018 season over in disappointment

Benny Snell Pittsburgh Steelers Jersey , the Steelers are sitting at home and are left to wonder what could have been. With an epic second half of the season collapse, the Steelers missed the playoffs and the drama that has pervaded throughout the locker room has been nothing short of toxic. It very well may cause them to move on from key elements of their super bowl hopes, and with it, this team fades further from their goal of a super bowl. With Ben Roethlisberger nearing the end of his career, how can they maximize their window? Here it is, a full offseason plan. Re-signing PhaseThere are lots of tough decisions here of who to let go and who to actually keep, so this was probably my toughest section to do, honestly.RB Le’Veon BellI just don’t know how you can bring him back at this point unless it is on some type of super discounted deal. Bell will test the market and get paid far outside of what the Steelers would want to pay him overall. He is as good as gone.OG Ramon FosterIf he can be got at a reasonable price, I still believe Foster is more than worth it to bring back. Foster is one of the better guards in the NFL and still keeps the core in tact together. His locker room presence alone is a big reason to keep him around.OL Matt FeilerFeiler was a rock star as he filled in for Marcus GIlbert and likely earned a multi-year extension by doing so. He can play inside or at RT, but regardless, he is incredibly valuable as depth. OL BJ FinneyFinney is the heir to the Ramon Foster throne, and if he does happen to leave, Finney would be a fantastic replacement. He is straight up solid and would start for most teams in this league. Re-sign, obviously. LS Kameron CanadayCanaday was solid, and his name was never said, bring him back. DL L.T. WaltonWalton didn’t get a hat for most of the season, and it is really murky as to what his role on this team is at this point. When he did play, he did nothing of note, so there is little to no incentive to bring him back. ILB L.J. FortFort was a key cog on the defense this year and deserves a multi-year extension. So, he should be extended, as he proved to be the best ILB on this team as the season progressed. With Fort giving the Steelers more security in the middle of the field, it should be a premium to keep him.DL Tyson AlualuThe Steelers will need defensive lineman depth, and will likely have to address it through the draft Benny Snell Jersey 2019 , but Alualu is a great depth piece and spot starter. This is a pretty easy bring back. P Jordan BerryHe is extremely mediocre, but got better towards the end of the year. Bring in competition and let him compete. OLB Anthony ChickilloIncredibly meh and nothing special, but the Steelers are so needy at OLB depth wise that Chickillo almost has to be brought back. I wouldn’t bring him back otherwise, but it is certainly somewhat essential to bring him back.CB Coty SensabaughSensabaugh was a fantastic fill-in after the woes of CB2 in the early season with the collapse of Artie Burns, and he should be brought back as a fantastic depth piece. Sensabaugh graded out incredibly well for PFF, and is a valuable piece to have there. S Nat BerheHe is coming off of a torn pectoral and is nothing more than a special teams guy, there is no reason to bring him back here. TE Xavier GrimbleA solid 3rd TE who needs to learn how to carry a football, but regardless, he is a really, really good blocker and that is extremely desirable as a third TE.TE Jesse JamesThe obvious answer to bring back the Outlaw. He is the peak of solid and can catch and block extremely well. The question is did he price himself out of Pittsburgh? I would bring him back at the right price, but I am not overpaying.CB Mike HiltonHilton is probably priority #1 in the offseason. With this team being bare at CB outside of him and Joe Haden, Hilton getting an extension is a natural step. He didn’t have a great end to the season, but he has more than earned that extension. WR Justin HunterComing off of a season-ending injury and I just do not see the reason to bring him back. He is mediocre at best and this is a deep WR draft. He can be replaced. WR Eli RogersRogers was fantastic in the limited games he played this year, and the Steelers, if they have the opportunity, should keep him in Pittsburgh as well. He adds another weapon to the dynamic offense and really opened up the playbook.OLB Keion AdamsAdams is still developing and a solid depth guy, he should be brought back to see what he can be in Year 3.RB Stevan RidleyFumbleitis alert, Ridley is nothing special and honestly was meh most of the year. If it was up to me, he wouldn’t be back.ILB Ryan ShazierNo idea here. But his locker room presence and positive influence is enough for me. Bring him back.WR Derrius Heyward-BeyGreat veteran presence, but honestly, kinda useless otherwise. He was not even that good of a gunner this year. I would let him walk, but if he wants to be a coach, he can come right on aboard. Other Contracts and MovesSean DavisDavis has straight up earned this extension Cheap Benny Snell Jersey , man. He had a few lackadaisical plays, but with another offseason at single-high under his belt, I anticipate that Davis will begin to really come into his own and become even more of a contributor, especially with ball skills starting to show up more. Javon HargraveHargrave finally broke out this year and when he saw snaps, he made more than the most of them. Hargrave is naturally a 4-3 3 technique, but he has embraced his role and has begun to get 5 technique reps and has wrecked the line with them. He is integral on the line and is a great player to have going forward. Get him an extension.Morgan Burnett and Jon BosticThese two guys were brought in but, honestly, as the rest of the plan unfolds, they just do not have a place on the team. Releasing them would give us some much needed cap space, and thus, they are natural moves.Ben RoethlisbergerNegotiations are already underway with Big Ben to come back for beyond 2019, and we will take that into account as well. Roethlisberger’s extension would free up some more cap space as well.Trade Antonio BrownI can’t believe I have to type this out, but we have to do this. So, the Steelers trade him to the 49ers for the 49ers’ 2nd, 4th, and a future 4th. This is a realistic looking deal, as there is no way the 2nd overall is actually in play, but in a deep class, this is a super nice haul.Bud DupreeRescind the 5th year option and re-negotiate to a cheaper deal. Free AgencyThe Steelers, facing a closing window, should theoretically take a bit more of a proactive approach here in free agency, just for logic sake.Sign ILB Jordan HicksYou wanted a big play, well Jack Lambert Jersey , here it is. Hicks has unfortunately dealt with some injuries, but he is an elite talent at ILB and likely won’t command all that much because of his injuries. Hicks is that low key type of signing the Steelers will make. This has high upside and low risk, so it is a natural fit.Sign IDL Henry AndersonThe Jets did not use Anderson all that much this season, but he logged an impressive 48 pressures out of that defense. He is an underrated player and will not command all that much money and can be an excellent player on that interior line, and it frees up a draft pick, too.Sign CB Pierre DesirDesir broke out finally in 2018 and was used heavily in the cover 2 and press man heavy scheme of Indianapolis, which meshes about as well as you could wish for it to do in Pittsburgh. This is a fantastic signing either as a starter or a great depth piece.Sign RB Mike DavisThis move is so underappreciated, but just go check out a short highlight film of Davis’ from this season and you will see an underrated back who can be an excellent rotational piece and do it all. Davis is a huge upgrade from Ridley and creates a great trio of RBs. The DraftA whole 7-Round mock draft that is streamlined with the AB picks. Let’s go.Round 1: CB Byron Murphy, WashingtonThe Steelers get a scheme versatile player and probably the best CB in the draft. Murphy, Desir, and Hilton create a great trio of future CBs after Joe Haden is gone, but for now, they are a lethal core of CBs that any team would die to have. Murphy has physicality and ball skills, and likely starts from Day 1.Round 2 (SF): WR Deebo Samuel, South CarolinaThe best player in Mobile becomes a Steeler. Samuel has legitimate pro bowl potential and would take all the pressure you could ever want off of JuJu Smith-Schuster. As a dynamic receiver, Samuel would be a big play machine. And this is highly beneficial to James Washington.Round 2: EDGE Christian Miller, AlabamaThe Steelers can focus on getting a pass rusher and dealing with some depth there with ILB more shored up than before. Miller has an incredible ceiling but is still polished enough to start from Day 1. He likely won’t, but by midseason, Bud Dupree should see the bench.Round 3: ILB Terrill Hanks, New Mexico StateVince Williams is great, but his deal is not too friendly and he likely will be a cap causality shortly. L.J. Fort is already 29 and could be on the decline anytime for all we know. Hanks is a young, athletic former safety that has insane coverage skills and speed for the ILB position. He can develop for a few years and make a lethal duo with Hicks down the line.Round 4 (SF): TE Keenan Brown, Texas StateWe assume here that Jesse James simply gets outpriced and we cannot retain him. Even if we are able to keep him Jack Ham Jersey , Brown is a dual-threat TE that can move and block really well. He is TE2 now with future TE1 potential. If Vance McDonald ever gets hurt, Brown can fill in extremely well.Round 4: S Malik Gant, MarshallGant can play anywhere a DB could want to play but outside CB. He is technically raw, but he has more than enough instincts to be a dimebacker from Day 1, and as he fills his frame out into Year 2, he can become a legit do it all Box safety or even a fluid single-high.Round 5: WR Penny Hart, Georgia StateWhat is the issue with fully filling out this WR room? Hart is a little stick of dynamite that could make the roster due to his ability to play slot and contribute. He is an ideal 6th WR as he can take over for DHB’s gunner abilities too, as he was that at Georgia State. In the future, he can become more than just that. Round 6: IOL Hjalte Froholdt, ArkansasMike Munchak might be gone, but Shaun Sarrett is still here! So, we give him a chance to really develop the interior of this line with a project in Froholdt. If he sits for a few years, Froholdt can become a pro bowl level OG if he pans out completely. He is a high-upside pick all day.Round 7: P Tyler Newsome, Notre DameYou know this is such a Steelers move, it just might happen. With just about every other position filled out, the Steelers draft Jordan Berry’s replacement, because Newsome is a stud. PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sean Davis couldn’t help but notice the big-money contracts fellow NFL safeties landed during free agency. It was impossible not to.Landon Collins scored $84 million from the Washington Redskins. Earl Thomas snagged $55 million from Baltimore. Tyrann Matthieu and LaMarcus Joyner both signed for more than $40 million.That’s life-changing money.Still, Davis insists he’s entering the fourth and final year of the rookie contract he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2016 focused on taking a step forward after an occasionally bumpy 2018, not a possibly lucrative payday that beckons next spring.“Yeah I think the safety market went up,” Davis said Tuesday after participating in organized team activities for the first time after sitting out the first two weeks with what he described as overall stiffness.“That just puts a little more pressure on me to get the job done and to compete with (those) contracts but like I said, it’s no pressure. I’m not putting no pressure on myself. No pressure on my team. I’m just trying to do the best I can.”Something the Steelers need Davis to do if they want to bounce back from a late-season collapse in which they let a 2½-game lead in the AFC North disappear over the final month.Pittsburgh moved him from strong safety to free safety last summer, believing Davis’ physicality and experience would help him be a difference-maker in the secondary after cutting Mike Mitchell.Things didn’t exactly work out as planned. Paired with rookie strong safety Terrell Edmunds, Davis had a respectable 80 tackles JuJu Smith-Schuster Jersey , but also finished with just one interception as part of a secondary that grabbed just six in all and a defense that had only eight in 566 pass attempts, 28th in the league.“One interception is not acceptable,” Davis said.Not if Davis wants to close the gap between the player he thinks he can be and the player who has put together three seasons in which flashes of brilliance have been followed by bouts of inconsistency and a bit of bad luck. One snap against the Los Angeles Chargers last season symbolized all three.Pittsburgh was leading 23-7 late in the third quarter when Los Angeles quarterback Philip Rivers dropped back to pass . He tried to thread the ball to wide receiver Keenan Allen in the end zone only to have Davis and Steelers cornerback Joe Haden jump the route. Yet rather than knock it down or pick it off, they smacked into each other. The ball popped up in the air and into Allen’s awaiting arms for a touchdown, the spark that propelled the Chargers to a comeback victory.Aggression has never been a problem for the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Davis, whose massive biceps along with the visor that shields his eyes from view create an intimidating presence. He’s not afraid to throw his body around, a mindset that hasn’t cost him much in terms of playing time. He’s been remarkably durable. When he sat out the 2018 regular-season finale with a quadriceps injury, it marked the first game in his career he was forced to watch in street clothes.Davis believes he’s taken a step forward in each of his first three seasons. He understands he’ll have to take another one to help Pittsburgh get back to the playoffs.Though he insists he’s not worrying about his long-term prospects, he did switch agents over the winter, hiring Drew Rosenhaus to represent him in his final year before potential free agency.“I just needed a change,” Davis said. “Drew is a top agent. He wants the best for me.”Whether that means staying in Pittsburgh is uncertain. The Steelers typically make a concerted effort to keep players they covet from hitting the open market, yet Davis said the club has yet to reach out about a possible new deal.It’s something he’s trying not to worry about. He’s more concerned about his relationship with Edmunds — the two spent time after practice ended Tuesday putting in extra work in one of the end zones — and getting a firmer grasp of what his role is in defensive coordinator Keith Butler’s system.“No big plays,” Davis said. “That’s really my big thing. More turnovers. We need more turnovers. Defense definitely has an uphill battle this year but I know we can get it done.”NOTES: The Steelers signed former players William Gay and David Johnson as coaching interns for 2019. Gay, a former cornerback, played 10 of his 11 seasons in the NFL with the Steelers, the last in 2017. Johnson, a former tight end/fullback, spent five of his seven seasons in the league in Pittsburgh. He last played in 2016.