Now that the 2021 season is over, bringing yet another year of disappointment, a fifth 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 have seen and are seeing over the course of the season and into 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 reasoning. 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. Because of this, we can and will see a player more than once over the course of the season as we move forward.
Player: T Chaz Green
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: With the Steelers releasing Zach Banner, there is an opening for a fourth tackle on the 53-man roster later this year, which currently Chaz Green figures to have a shot at based on the players under contract heading into the draft.
Chaz Green has been in the NFL for six years. He has started a total of eight games during that time, including just one since 2018. Six of his career starts occurred in his first two seasons after being drafted in the third round by the Dallas Cowboys.
He’s been a journeyman since then, but he’s been on rosters. The 2021 season was his first spending the year on the practice squad, so this is not the norm for him. He did get elevated for two games due to injuries, but did not see any time on offense after logging over 200 snaps in 2020 for the Colts.
But with the Steelers having released Zach Banner, their number four tackle position is ostensibly up for grabs. Joe Haeg is the top backup, with Dan Moore Jr. and Chukwuma Okorafor as the starters. There is nobody else on the roster with meaningful tackle experience.
Right now, arguably, the next tackle on the depth chart is John Leglue, who started five games at guard at the end of last season. He was brought in at first as a tackle before being worked inside. He does have tackle size.
But Green is also guard-capable, so, he has the advantage of position flexibility, which won’t penalize him versus Leglue provided that he can demonstrate to the coaching staff that he is a preferable option at tackle.
The thing is, the tackle position is thin even with both of them considered. It’s highly possible that the Steelers draft a tackle this year, later this month, in fact, in what is a pretty deep class for the position. So I very well could be writing a ‘stock down’ article for Green in the post-draft process as well.
