No need to tell Pittsburgh
Steelers president Art Rooney II about the difficulties of
finding transcendent talents.
He has seen three absurdly good players -- linebacker Ryan Shazier,
wide receiver Antonio Brown and
running back Le'Veon Bell -- lead his team to victories only to leave the
lineup, potentially for good.
When asked about losing top-15 players such as these, Rooney
acknowledged the obvious with the trade discussion around Brown: Talent
prevails.
That’s one of the reason why the Steelers haven’t made a
decisions on Antonio yet.
Loose translation: All-Pros are really hard to find, no
matter how difficult. That's why any exchange for Brown must produce serious
draft capital. And the Steelers are hemorrhaging top talent. As a result, this
offseason is shaping up to be a test of mettle for an organization that must
strengthen the roster on the fly.
The loss of Shazier to a severe spinal injury in late 2017,
coupled with Bell's yearlong holdout and the seemingly inevitable trade of
Brown, are nearly impossible to replace on the surface. Shazier wants to
continue rehabbing for a return to football, and the Steelers plan to help him
with that, but he's not in the plans for the 2019 roster.
To be sure, the Steelers are good enough to win games
without those players. And quarterback Ben
Roethlisberger, who's due an extension this offseason, gives
Pittsburgh a chance in every game.
With a little creativity, they can be right back in
contention.
They have $27.72 million in salary-cap space, according to
OverTheCap.com. They can create more with roster cuts and restructuring the
final year on Roethlisberger's deal.
The Steelers have a lot of evaluations to do during this
offseason. Having a little extra cap space always helps, that's for sure.
Rooney said the Steelers feel good about their running-back
lineup with "two good, young players" in James Conner and Jaylen
Samuels. The Steelers haven't made a firm decision on whether to
place the franchise tag on Bell for a third consecutive year, but Conner made a
Pro Bowl in his first season as a starter and Samuels is a natural
pass-catcher. They can roll with those two players if Bell's situation has
become too explosive.
The Steelers are in pretty good shape therewith the core of
linebackers they have. However the linebacker position is still something the
Steelers need to address. It's a challenge, no doubt about it.
That's where the Brown trade could help. Perhaps leveraging
Brown for a first-round pick could help the Steelers land a top linebacker such
as LSU's Devin White.
Getting a first-rounder, though, is hardly a guarantee for a receiver turning
31 in July, no matter how great.
Rooney would like to see more turnovers created on defense
and improvement in the secondary. A rangy inside linebacker to pair with Vince
Williams would provide balance to the front seven.
Life without Bell and Brown will quell the storylines coming
out of Pittsburgh's locker room but hurt the team's talent quotient.
As Rooney points out, the team has seen big personalities
come and go.
The Steelers have worked hard at bringing in players that
fit their scheme of things. But people are different, and the Steelers had some
different characters here and there over the years. ... If there are lessons to
be learned here, the Steelers look at that and see if they can do better
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