Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Kelvin Beachum didn’t sign a long-term contract extension prior to the start of the 2015 season and now that he’s been lost for the season to a torn ACL that he suffered during Sundays win over the Arizona Cardinals, it’s apparent that his gamble didn’t pay off.
During his Monday session with the media, Beachum was asked about the perceived gamble that he took in turning down an extension that was possibly a lot less than what he was looking for.
“It’s a gamble either way,” said Beachum, who was drafted in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL Draft out of SMU. “Like I said during training camp when we addressed the question, I let the business people do what they have to do in that respect and I play football and do what I’m supposed to do on the football field.”
With Beachum now lost for the season, Alejandro Villanueva will take his spot in the starting lineup at left tackle. Beachum let it be known on Monday that he will do everything in his power to help the former undrafted Army Captain succeed.
“I have already been talking to him,” said Beachum. “We talked right after the game. He is doing a great job. I had a chance to watch the game in the locker room after the injury. He is going to be just fine.
“I would want somebody to do the same for me if I was in that position. I will be here to help, be a shoulder to lean on, somebody to talk to. I already watched the film on Kansas City so if he has any questions.”
Since suffering his injury, Beachum said he’s had the support of several of his teammates and more specifically, from a fellow offensive linemen and the team’s starting tight end. He said that guard David DeCastro and tight end Heath Miller have already let him know what to expect as far as his recovery process goes as they both recently went through similar injuries.
Beachum was likely to be a prize unrestricted free agent after the 2015 season ended, but its obvious now at this point that he will first have to show that he can fully recover from his recent injury before any team signs him. That injury, however, could now result in him returning to the Steelers in 2016 via a long-term deal at a lower than expected average yearly salary.
One thing is for certain and that’s that you can count on Beachum pushing himself as hard as possible in attempt to be fully recovered by the start of the 2016 regular season and perhaps even sooner. He certainly has been a model Steeler player and you can’t help but root for him even though there’s an outside chance that he’s played his last game for the Steelers.
