The Pittsburgh Steelers are back in the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex earlier than they had anticipated, having been ousted from the postseason in the opening round, which unfortunately marks a slight improvement from the past two seasons, during which they did not even qualify for the playoffs altogether. They have now done four seasons without securing a victory beyond regular season play.
Yet again, they find themselves undergoing the exit meeting process earlier than anticipated, which means so are we.
They did manage to go 12-4 during the regular season, and secured their first AFC North title since 2017, posting a new franchise record by opening the season with 11 consecutive wins, but of course it all fell apart after that. Their only victory after that required a 17-point comeback.
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 2020 season.
Player: Cassius Marsh
Position: OLB
Experience: 7 Years
Although he only spent a few games with the Steelers last season, after he was signed off of the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad, Cassius Marsh is actually the most veteran player that they had in the outside linebacker room, having played seven seasons, though primarily as a rotational player.
Still, I give him top billing here when breaking down the reserve outside linebackers due to the fact that, when he was brought in late in the year, the coaching staff appeared to favor putting him on the field over Jayrone Elliott, and even Olasunkanmi Adeniyi, who had been in the system for three years at that point.
Marsh is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent, but considering the fact that he was on a practice squad when the Steelers grabbed him, it’s reasonable to assume that he could possibly be retained for at or near a veteran-minimum salary. In his case, for a player with seven credited seasons, he would be due a minimum salary of $1,075,000.
It’s also worth noting that he has previously expressed a desire to return to Pittsburgh this offseason, though it is likely also in his best interests to say that. He was only acquired on December 9 and was activated to the 53-man roster on the 14th, so he didn’t spend a ton of time in the organization.
The key advantage that he possesses is that he is also capable of being a four-phase special teams player, which always brings immense value for players on the bottom half of the roster. And right now they can use all the veteran depth they can get their hands on.
