The Pittsburgh Steelers are now into the offseason, following a year in which they had high hopes for Super Bowl success, but ultimately fell short of even reaching the postseason at 8-8. It was a tumultuous season, both on the field and within the roster, and the months to follow figure to have some drama as well, especially in light of the team’s failure to improve upon the year before.
The team made some bold moves over the course of the past year, and some areas of the roster look quite a bit different than they did a year ago, or even at the start of the regular season. Whether due to injuries or otherwise, a lot has transpired, and we’re left to wonder how much more will change prior to September.
How will Ben Roethlisberger’s rehab progress as he winds toward recovery from an elbow injury that cost him almost the entire season? What about some of the key young players, some of whom have already impressed, others still needing quite a bit of growth? Will there be changes to the coaching staff? The front office? Who will they not retain in free agency, and whom might they bring in?
These are the sorts of questions among many others that we have been exploring on a daily basis and will continue to do so. Football has become a year-round pastime and there is always a question to be asked, though there is rarely a concrete answer, as I’ve learned in my years of doing this.
Question: Which position group on the 90-man roster are you least comfortable with right now if the season began today?
For the purposes of this question, again, we are assuming that ‘today’ is not the middle of March, but rather the start of the regular season in September. We are also assuming that injured players such as Ben Roethlisberger and Stephon Tuitt have recovered from their injuries in the manners in which they were anticipated. We are also making the assumptions that Bud Dupree is on the roster, and Javon Hargrave is not. Some of the other details will be filled in on your own.
Looking at the roster as it is currently formulated, and given the parameters outlined above, which group on the roster are you least comfortable with heading into the 2020 season? Depth is likely to be an issue quite soon once the new league year begins at a number of positions.
Tight end would be a prime example for me. Not only is Vance McDonald coming off of a disappointing season, it’s not even absolutely certain that they will be able to afford to retain him while also giving Dupree the franchise tag. Nick Vannett is a free agent, and Zach Gentry is, to date, a virtual non-contributor.
I suspect that running back will also be high on a number of people’s lists, though not as much for me. James Conner is a quality starter when he is healthy, but it’s a complete toss-up as to whether or not he will be. There is some developmental potential in Benny Snell and Kerrith Whyte as well.
