The Pittsburgh Steelers are back in the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex earlier than they had anticipated, having been ousted before they even reached the postseason, which unfortunately marks the sixth consecutive season in which they failed to win a postseason game—tying their longest drought of the Super Bowl era. 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 9-8 and nearly making the postseason at all, a reflection of just how much talent they lost during the offseason, from Ben Roethlisberger and Joe Haden to most of their wide receiver room, not to mention Stephon Tuitt’s decision to retire.
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 2022 season.
Player: Myles Jack
Position: ILB
Experience: 7 Years
The Steelers have been in an annual cycle of trying to improve their inside linebacker group for years since Ryan Shazier’s injury. Most options typically only last one season, from Jon Bostic and Mark Barron to, most recently, Joe Schobert.
Schobert was acquired during training camp in 2021. The Steelers released him after signing Jack during free agency, who himself was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars after six seasons with them as a former second-round draft pick.
Things started off well for Jack, registering 35 tackles over the course of the first three games, including two tackles for loss and a pass defensed, but that didn’t prove to be an indicator of consistent results. Injuries played a factor in that as well, however.
He ultimately missed two games, and his snap count dropped in the second half of the season as he found himself a frequent presence on the team’s injury reports. He still finished the year with a team-leading 104 tackles.
The question the Steelers have to answer for themselves, however, is whether or not tackles are enough to justify paying him $8 million in 2023, or if they can better use that money elsewhere. He had zero interceptions and forced fumbles and just three passes defensed.
Your inside linebackers need to be playmakers. It’s important that they make the routine tackles, but they’re the ones around the ball more than anybody. If they’re not punching the ball out or picking it off, then—well, you can probably find a cheaper guy to bring the running back down.
