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 Arthur Maulet
Stock Value: Purchased
Reasoning: The Steelers signed free agent defensive back, listed as a safety, Arthur Maulet to a one-year contract shortly after the 2021 NFL Draft.
One of the few positions that the Steelers actually didn’t manage to address during the 2021 NFL Draft was bringing in a true safety, though they believe seventh-round pick Tre Norwood is capable of playing the position.
Given the departures of Sean Davis and Jordan Dangerfield, however, it felt logical that they would look to add somebody here given how the draft went. After all, they were looking at Karl Joseph in free agency. So once the draft came and went and they didn’t come away with a safety, they went out and signed one in the form of Arthur Maulet.
A former college free agent out of Memphis, Maulet has logged 35 games over the course of the last four seasons with the New Orleans Saints, the Indianapolis Colts, and the New York Jets. He has spent the past two seasons in New York, where he has garnered the majority of his playing experience.
Logging 11 starts over 23 games played for the Jets since 2019, he has accumulated nearly 250 snaps on special teams, and more than 750 snaps on defense. Compared to the available depth the Steelers had before signing him, that’s like bringing back Ryan Clark.
Immediately after the draft, their depth behind Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds consisted of Antoine Brooks Jr., a “half a linebacker” sixth-round pick a from a year ago, and John Battle, who spent most of the 2020 season on the practice squad. They were able to add Lamont Wade and Donovan Stiner as college free agents, as well. Battle was waived after Maulet was signed.
The way the roster is currently constructed, Maulet is clearly their number three safety. A lot of things can happen between now and September. Including the addition of somebody else who might become available, as Davis did for the Steelers last year.
