Now that the 2021 offseason has begun, following yet another year of disappointment, a fourth consecutive season with no postseason victories, it’s time to take stock of where the Pittsburgh Steelers stand. Specifically where Steelers players stand individually based on what we are seeing over the course of the offseason as it plays out. We will also be reviewing players based on their previous season and their prospects for the future.
A stock evaluation can take a couple of different approaches and I’ll try to make clear my reasonings. In some cases it will be based on more long-term trends. In other instances it will be a direct response to something that just happened. So we can see a player more than once over the course of the season as we move forward.
Player: S Sean Davis
Stock Value: Sold
Reasoning: Again, not technically released or traded, but with Sean Davis officially signing with the Indianapolis Colts, it’s now a done deal that he is (once again) moving on from the Steelers—or the Steelers are moving on from him.
A former Steelers second-round draft pick, safety Sean Davis spent his first five seasons in the league in Pittsburgh. That fifth season, however, only happened because he failed to make the Washington Football Team’s roster a year ago, despite being given a $2 million signing bonus on a one-year deal.
That’s right, Washington paid him $2 million to not play for them. He then earned $825,000 for his time with the Steelers. Details for his contract with the Colts are not yet in, but it wouldn’t be a shock if it’s at or near the minimum.
Davis did start 41 of the 48 games he played in for the Steelers during his first four seasons, primarily at strong safety in his first and second seasons. He started out in the slot for a few games as a rookie. In year three, he moved to free safety, which was an adjustment for him.
Year four in 2019 was supposed to be the year everything would come together for him, now in the position in which he might be best suited, and with a full year of playing it under his belt. Instead, he had an injury-riddled offseason that culminated in a season-ending injury in the only game he played in, and which helped bring about the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade.
Given that Fitzpatrick has already made two first-team All-Pro teams since then, it will probably be the most notable part of Davis’ legacy in Pittsburgh—that his injury in 2019 helped to push the front office into making the trade for their future long-term starter.
