The Steelers are now in their offseason after failing to reach the playoffs in 2022, coming up just a game short of sneaking in as the seventh seed. They needed help in week 18 and only got some of it, so instead they sat home and watched the playoffs with the rest of us.
On tap is figuring out how to be on the field in January and February instead of being a spectator. They started out 2-6, digging a hole that proved too deep to dig out of even if they managed to go 7-2 in the second half of the year.
Starting from the end of the regular season and leading all the way up to the beginning of the 2023 season, there are plenty of questions that need answered, starting with who will be the offensive coordinator. Which free agents will be kept? Who might be let go due to their salary? How might they tackle free agency with this new front office? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout this offseason, as we have for many years.
Question: Does TE Zach Gentry enter training camp inside or outside the roster bubble?
This is a subject that we knew would be coming since the draft when the Steelers selected TE Darnell Washington in the third round. Will Zach Gentry return for a fifth season in Pittsburgh, or will the Steelers ask him to move along (perhaps to the practice squad)?
Obviously, his roster spot is vulnerable even if he brings four years of experience in Pittsburgh to the table. But Pittsburgh knew this situation might develop. They also know that Connor Heyward is not a pure fullback—and these factors may have played into their decision not to re-sign FB Derek Watt.
It’s certainly possible for the Steelers to fit Pat Freiermuth, Gentry, Washington, and Heyward all onto the roster, but it’s not a guarantee. Gentry’s virtually non-existent special teams contributions will also work against him.
In fact, we can go back to the start of the offseason. Gentry seemed relatively confident that the Steelers wanted to keep him, but not only did they wait to re-sign him, they also only offered him a veteran salary benefit contract, paying him the minimum salary for his experience level with a minimal signing bonus. In other words, they paid him as little as possible on a one-year deal.
So the question is, before things get underway at Saint Vincent College, is he sitting inside of that roster bubble or is he on the outside looking in? What will he have to do to get inside, or if he already is, to maintain his status?
As alluded to, I’m thinking that he’ll have to start playing a bigger role on special teams. While he serves as a wing on the field goal kicking units, he does virtually nothing else. He did play some on kick return units in 2021, but he more or less lost that job as the season wore on—or perhaps the coaches decided to take him off because he was playing a bigger role on offense.
