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 the fifth consecutive season in which they failed to win a postseason game—a new record for the franchise since the merger. Yet again, they find themselves undergoing the exit meeting process earlier than anticipated, which means so are we.
The Steelers did arguably perform at or above expectations this year by going 9-7-1 and making the postseason at all, a reflection of just how much talent they lost during the offseason, from the majority of the offensive line to Mike Hilton, Bud Dupree, Steven Nelson, and Vince Williams—not to mention Stephon Tuitt, essentially.
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 2021 season.
Player: John Leglue
Position: T/G/C
Experience: 1 Year
John Leglue has been kicking around for a couple of years now, and the fact that he continued to work on his versatility is one of the reasons for that. But nobody could have foreseen the circumstances that led to him more than 400 snaps at left guard for the Steelers in 2021.
The team started with Kevin Dotson at left guard, after losing Matt Feiler in free agency. But once he went down with an injury that proved to be season-ending, they had to move on, first with B.J. Finney, who was quickly injured himself, and then J.C. Hassenauer, who, ditto.
Finney’s back injury kept him on the Reserve/Injured List for the rest of the season. While Hassenauer did return, Leglue had already somewhat established himself in the lineup at left guard, and besides, he was soon to be called into action at center, anyway.
A former college free agent out of Tulane, Leglue’s best quality is his tenacity, and his determination to see every play through to the end—which is what you would hope to see from anybody in his position, more or less desperate to earn a roster spot.
It’s impossible to predict the future with any degree of certitude about major outcomes, but I think Leglue has at least shown enough to be retained as quality depth, as somebody who can potentially play all five positions up and down the offensive line.
Can he potentially grow into a player whom the team would be comfortable starting? Certainly, it’s within the realm of possibility, though at the same time I would caution against overselling his tape from a year ago. He is still (soon to be) just 26 years old, and can still grow—especially if he is permitted to settle into a position.
