5 Smoldering Questions on the Steelers’ Free Agency

IMG_1724by Hombre de Acero

With NFL Free Agency about to begin its third week the 2017 off season is fully underway. And for the Steelers it’s business as usual, greatly to the chagrin of much of the franchise’s fan base. Nonetheless, there’s been enough activity thus far to give this corner of Steelers Nation 5 Smoldering Questions to struggle with before our focus firmly shifts to the 2017 NFL Draft.

1. A new coach’s first draft pick defines his legacy – unless it doesn’t. Bill Austin defined his legacy for the worse by picking Dick Leftridge and Chuck Noll defined his for the better by picking Joe Greene. However, while he was a good pick, it is hard to argue that picking Leon Searcy defined Bill Cowher’s legacy one way or another.

With that in mind, to what extent did picking Lawrence Timmons define Mike Tomlin’s legacy?

2. Jarvis Jones’ defection to Pittsburgh West, aka the Arizona Cardinals, punctuated his status as the most disappointing first round pick of the Kevin Colbert era. With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, is it correct to say that the Steelers erred in cutting James Harrison during the 2013 off season?

3. At this point in the off season, when NFL teams throw contracts at free agents as if they are spending monopoly money, commentators frequently cite the oft inactive Steelers and Patriots (along with a handful of other clubs, such as the Packers) as models for how to successfully work the system.

Yet, as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes, the Patriots have departed from the script this year and have been fairly aggressive in acquiring new players. Given Pittsburgh’s seemingly perennial status as second fiddle to the Patriots, do you think that the Steelers brain trust should have been more active in the first wave of free agency?

4. Oddly enough, our fourth question provides a sort of “Counter Factual” case study for question 3.

The Steelers did in fact express strong interest in signing New England’s Donta Hightower and, while they weren’t prepared to engage in a bidding war, did by all accounts make a serious offer to Hightower, which he rejected.

Before the outcome was known, Jim Wexell argued persuasively that Hightower wouldn’t offer much of an upgrade, and after he made his decision, Ed Bouchette argued that Hightower had done the Steelers a favor.

First, do you agree with Wexell and Bouchette and, second, what does the fact that the Steelers were willing to make such an aggressive offer for this type of player tell you?

5. Of the Steelers remaining unsigned free agents, DeAngelo Williams, Cody Wallace, Shamarko Thomas and Ricardo Mathews, which do you think the team should consider re-signing and which players do you think should consider beginning their “Life’s Work?”

There you go folks! Have at it.

3 comments

  • roxannafirehall

    1. I don’t agree with the premise, but you might say it was the dawn of an emphasis on speed.

    2. Hard to say. 92 has played better in the last two years than he was when he left.

    3. Not unless the key to breaking NE domination was to be gained. I don’t believe it was, as that key is the retirement of Brady.

    4. Without knowing the details, the little we know tells me nada.

    5. Cody.

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  • 1. First picks today are a completely different animal than they were 40-50 years ago.
    2. Deebo is amazing, JJ not so much
    3. I like the Steelers approach, so no.
    4. I don’t think Hightower would have been much of a fit or upgrade.
    5. DeAngelo Williams

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  • 1. Roxanna Firehall makes a great point that wouldn’t have occurred to me. Otherwise, I would say it wasn’t like the Joe Greene pick, because it didn’t alter the course of the franchise. In fact, no one Tomlin could have chosen could have really done that at this point, other than for the worse.

    2. It’s easy to assume they should have kept Harrison, but I wonder if he didn’t learn things in Cincinnati that gave him an extra facet to his game. Besides, we know he likes having something to prove.

    3. No.

    4. I was a fan of Hightower in the draft, and hoped the Steelers would select him. But he was certainly injury-prone when he went to New England. IIRC he barely played his first couple of seasons. I have no idea why the Steelers seemed quite set on a guy the best of the beat writers were so down on, but let’s just hope it all turned out for the best.

    5. Now that they’ve signed Alualu, they don’t need Mathews. I love D-Will but if I were home I would retire. I think the Steelers are probably sufficiently happy with BJ Finney that they don’t need Wallace. Shamarko Thomas is clearly not the future for anyone at safety. He’s worked really hard, including spending time in the offseason with Troy, but there is some sort of disconnect, apparently. But he’s a great speak along teams player and I would definitely consider bringing him back.

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