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: Matt McCrane
Position: Kicker
Experience: 0 Years
I feel bad for Matt McCrane in the sense that he came up just one game shy of earning an accrued season, which could mean a big deal down the road, both in terms of football and in benefits. He played three games with the Raiders last season, then one in Arizona, before being signed by the Steelers for the finale, totaling five games. You accrue a season with six.
But ostensibly he will be given an opportunity in 2019 to play a lot more games than five, though he won’t be the only one. With a report that the Steelers asked Chris Boswell to defer his roster bonus until later in the offseason, it’s clear that the team is committed to having an open competition at the position, which may well include more than two legs.
McCrane did play well in his one game in Pittsburgh, making all three of his field goals, including a game-winner, with a long of 47 yards. He doesn’t have a very strong leg though, as evidenced by the fact that 15 of his 21 kickoffs were returned. The going rate is north of 50 percent at this point.
Still, he did his job when the Steelers brought him in, and you can’t ask for more than that. I imagine he will be on the training camp roster and they will take a long look at him and Boswell, but I also strongly believe that another kicker will be in the mix as well.
Perhaps even a draft pick. It’s not as though they are shy about drafting specialists. They drafted a long snapper when they knew they would need one in 2017 in Colin Holba with a sixth-round pick. Back in Mike Tomlin’s first season, they actually traded up to use a fourth-round pick on Robopunter, Daniel Sepulveda, who admittedly looked like he would be a good one if he could stop tearing his knees.
