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: Sean Davis
Position: Safety
Experience: 3 Years
Three years into their careers, it certainly seems as though their top three picks have turned out to performed as though they were drafted in the reverse order. Third-round defensive tackle Javon Hargrave has been the best and most consistent of the three, breaking out this past season with six and a half sacks.
While first-round cornerback Artie Burns tanked last season, second-round safety Sean Davis had a somewhat successful year as he converted from strong safety to free safety—his third position change in as many seasons.
While he wasn’t exactly beating down the door for the Pro Bowl, he generally held his own. He still had too many missed tackles, but he cut down on them at his new position, and the instances of his misses yielded less egregious results.
One area of concern going forward is going to be his ability to make plays. He didn’t have any sacks last season, nor many pressures. He had only one interception with no forced fumbles and a relatively low number of passes defensed.
The Steelers have openly talked about needing playmakers on defense after they finished the season with among the fewest number of takeaways and one of the worst turnover margins in the NFL. Davis had three interceptions the year before, in what they envisioned as a preface to more opportunities at free safety.
The hope is that he will continue to develop in this area, especially in his second season at free safety. There is also the fact that he spent the year playing with rookie Terrell Edmunds. The two still have to grow together as a tandem, which takes time to forge a comfort level.
