With the Steelers’ 2022 season unfortunately now in the rearview mirror, a 9-8 campaign that came up short too late in spite of a strong second half, we now turn our attention to the offseason, and the many decisions that will have to be made over the course of the next several months.
This is now a young team on the offensive side of the ball, though one getting older on defense, and both sides could stand to be supplemented robustly, including in the trenches—either one. Decisions about the coaching staff must also be made, as well as who to prioritize in free agency, and what to look for from the outside, before getting to the draft.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
Topic Statement: Damontae Kazee would make a better starter at strong safety for the Steelers than Terrell Edmunds.
Explanation: The Steelers were open to the possibility of Damontae Kazee being their starting strong safety at the start of free agency a year ago when they weren’t sure they would be re-signing Terrell Edmunds. They ended up getting both, and Kazee’s preseason injury made lineup questions moot. They could opt to re-sign one or the other this offseason, or even both, but it’s not necessarily a given who would start.
Buy:
Kazee has had a better career than Edmunds, overall, even if his market has been weak. He signed a veteran-minimum deal with the Steelers last year in part because he was coming off a season in which he was hit with a DWI arrest.
And then he missed half the season because of a broken arm. But when he did get the opportunity to start, he played well, and made some splash plays, something Edmunds doesn’t often do. And even though he’s the smaller player, he may well be the more powerful hitter between the two. I don’t think it’s a no-brainer, but the argument is certainly there that Pittsburgh would be a better defense with Kazee starting.
Sell:
One of the most important components of the safety position generally is the ability of the two safeties to work in tandem. That’s a relationship that Minkah Fitzpatrick has been building with Edmunds for several years now. There’s a reason Fitzpatrick never misses a chance to go to bat for him in advocating for him being a long-term starter next to him.
While he might not have nabbed any interceptions this past year, we know that Edmunds is capable of making plays here and there. He did have a couple of sacks, and his work in coverage has only improved over time. This was quite likely his best season, and keeping him would preserve some stability in a secondary that’s in the middle of change.
