The Pittsburgh Steelers have a major set challenges facing them for the offseason of 2019 after they managed to miss the postseason for the first time in five years. The failure has been taken especially grievously because of the fact that the team was in position to control their own fate even for homefield advantage with six games remaining before dropping four games.
And so they find themselves getting the exit meeting process underway at least two weeks earlier than they have had to in years, since they have made it to at least the Divisional Round since 2015. Hopefully they used those extra two weeks with purpose.
While we might not know all the details about what goes on between Head Coach Mike Tomlin and his players during these exit meetings, we do know how we would conduct those meetings if they were let up to us. So here are the Depot’s exit meetings for the Steelers’ roster following the 2018 season.
Player: Coty Sensabaugh
Position: Cornerback
Experience: 7 Years
Coty Sensabaugh started the 2018 regular season in virtual irrelevance, largely as somebody who only made the 53-man roster as a veteran depth piece because there were simply no other viable options. The Steelers even felt it necessary to send developmental cornerback Brian Allen down to the practice squad.
So he began the 2018 season as it ended for him in 2017: as a healthy scratch. Sensabaugh did not dress for the season opener, but that is the last time during the year in which he would not play meaningful snaps.
Starting left outside cornerback Joe Haden suffered a minor injury in the season opener that made him sit out the following week. He had started originally in Haden’s place when he was injured the year before, but this time Cameron Sutton was asked to start.
As Sutton struggled, however, Sensabaugh began to rotate in the game. And when Haden returned the following week, he began to rotate on the opposite side of the field with Artie Burns. He even started a game or two during that rotation, heading into the bye week after six games.
While Burns ostensibly had a good week of practice and seemingly was on-track to resume his usual duties on the other side of the bye, he was late to a meeting or something like that, which resulted in him being disciplined, not playing at all.
Sensabaugh played the entire game and played well, and kept the starting job for the rest of the year. While he certainly is not somebody that you would want to figure on starting, he proved to be a better option in 2018 than anticipated, and was not a major liability.
The seven-year veteran will be an unrestricted free agent in a little less than a month. Given that they don’t have many other options right now—Sutton figures to be the starter opposite Haden if they were to play a game today—it’s likely the Steelers will have interest in re-signing him before then to a low-value deal.
