JustPlainNasty Posted August 30, 2021 Share Posted August 30, 2021 (edited) Just figured Id start a thread for something to chat about.. We have some holes and questions on the roster no doubt, and some potential surplus in others vs other rosters in the league. Areas of concern for the Steelers is at ILB depth, CB's theres a lot of inexperience here and depth is questionable. Not sure what we have at OT, but even if it has some future potential it definitely is the most concerning its been for quite some time. This line reminds me of the 07/08 lines but with much better inside upside, they definitely didnt have a Kevin Dotson on that line. Seems to me the Detroit Lions should have some definite interest in our roster (James Washington) with them having basically nothing at the WR spot at the moment due to inexperience and injury and some backup QB concerns. Not sure what they have or be willing to part with that wed be really interested in, but I'll take a stab. I liked Corn Elder coming out of Miami and the Penn St CB (cant spell his name off hand) is big and athletic but had his lapses at PSU. I havent followed Alex Anzalone at LB, I know he was liked by many coming out of Florida and played with New Orleans but I noticed him on the roster. I like the OT Tyrell Crosby at Oregon (hes a Vegas kid) but had a reoccurring foot injury and hasnt shined with Detroit (although he has stuck around as a 5th rounder). I wouldnt think of him as any kind of starter right away but would rather work with him than Chuks at OT. Ive always been a bit baffled by the Chuks draft pick in the 3rd, but I gave the benefit of the doubt because they squeezed upside out of Marcus Gilbert. Edit** I actually see that Detroit released Crosby. Just not sure he has that nastiness in him anymore. Im betting he pops up with the Raiders. Note** I'd also be interested on kicking the tires on RB Javian Hawkins for the practice squad. He was released by Atlanta early but showed a lot of potential at Louisville. Edited August 30, 2021 by JustPlainNasty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcash4 Posted August 30, 2021 Share Posted August 30, 2021 Feels like any trade of our is either going to have to be significant, back end fodder, or a player for player swap. Our trade-able draft capital in 2022: - 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 7th ....yikes. I would say James Washington is our most valuable asset right now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warfelg Posted August 30, 2021 Share Posted August 30, 2021 2 hours ago, Dcash4 said: Feels like any trade of our is either going to have to be significant, back end fodder, or a player for player swap. Our trade-able draft capital in 2022: - 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 7th ....yikes. I would say James Washington is our most valuable asset right now. I'm willing to bet by Friday Washington has been moved for a conditional 4th. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcash4 Posted August 30, 2021 Share Posted August 30, 2021 32 minutes ago, warfelg said: I'm willing to bet by Friday Washington has been moved for a conditional 4th. I’d be good with that. I’m too afraid that after Ray Rays showing they decide that they can’t take the chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustPlainNasty Posted August 30, 2021 Author Share Posted August 30, 2021 (edited) Id be a fan of getting some exchange value for Ebron and keeping Gentry & Rader. They can drop passes just like Ebron if you throw it to them, but they can also block. It doesnt really matter if he can get open if you have to hold your breath every time you throw it to him. Theres nothing new about last year, its been like that since college. Edited August 30, 2021 by JustPlainNasty 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
43M Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 1 hour ago, Dcash4 said: I’d be good with that. I’m too afraid that after Ray Rays showing they decide that they can’t take the chance. Trade Washington. Sign Kenny Stills. He can be what we need for a year. If no one gets hurt, he likely wont get more than 30 targets anyway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dcash4 Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 11 hours ago, 43M said: Trade Washington. Sign Kenny Stills. He can be what we need for a year. If no one gets hurt, he likely wont get more than 30 targets anyway. You sold me at the bold part, but I'm thinking the Steelers are going to hold on for reasons. Not good reasons, just reasons. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
43M Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 2 hours ago, Dcash4 said: You sold me at the bold part, but I'm thinking the Steelers are going to hold on for reasons. Not good reasons, just reasons. I honestly dont expect them to trade him either. Almost every year we discuss trade ideas that never happen, even when the trades make too much sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steeler Hitman Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 I would not let Washington leave at this point. He is probably our best insurance as far as consistency going forward. Ju Ju is wait and see and the team will either try to make him the next Hines ward or Plaxico Burress. While Ju Ju is a great kid and talent, not sure if he will be more involved with off field stuff tthan on. especially after he gets paid. Not saying he will be the next AB, but some of his Tic Toc stuff and outside interests have to be considered if he stays or chooses to go closer to home or the spotlight. Chase Claypool is young and while a great talent could be AB and potential Ju Ju Part Trois. Different era and class of young players, but not sure if he can be that solid consistent #1 if both Washington and Ju Ju are gone. Dionte Johnson has some consistency and health issues. He and Ebron bring a new meaning to 50/50 ball sometimes. I like his character and potential, but again, until I see more on the field there are still questions marks. If Ju Ju leaves for Greener $$$ pastures, we trade Washington, and are left with only Chase, Dionte, and Ray Ray, WR becomes a huge position of need for 2022. I wouldn't gamble here. I don't mind some gambles, but the team will probably have to decide to keep Ju Ju or Washington going forward, and I am not so sure that I am ready to do that today. I am a huge Ju Ju fan, but not sure if he is the long term answer at WR or if I am willing to give Washington the keys to the car so to speak. I think that Washington is probably the most stable and consistent WR despite being the #4 WR. I really hated to see Nelson leave. I felt much better about the secondary with him than without him. Right now I would be patient and wait to see who gets cut. Only exception would be if a team approached about a solid veteran that may be a cap casualty or something. We could definitely use an upgrade at CB and Nickel in particular. ILB I am content with Bush, Shobert and Spillane. Buddy Johnson is up and coming at #4. Either Allen or UGIII can serve as fifth if they keep five. Spillane had a tough preseason and was asked to do more than what he would or probably should regularly. He is better as a role ILB than he is being given credit for. Tough kid and I think (I should say hope) he bounces back to pre injury form of 2020. Most glaring hole to me is back-up FS behind Minkah. I would have loved for my hometown kid to sign here instead of Dallas. This is an area that I would be aggressively seeking help. Lastly, I take the Ebron ship on its final journey. I think we all believe that Freiermuth is the future at TE. Ebron is a threat, even as a decoy. I love Radar's heart and is my sentimental pick to make the roster as TE3. He plays special teams and has a blocking attitude. He fills a role and getting another TE who blocks does little Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
43M Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 (edited) 17 minutes ago, Steeler Hitman said: I would not let Washington leave at this point. He is probably our best insurance as far as consistency going forward. Ju Ju is wait and see and the team will either try to make him the next Hines ward or Plaxico Burress. While Ju Ju is a great kid and talent, not sure if he will be more involved with off field stuff tthan on. especially after he gets paid. Not saying he will be the next AB, but some of his Tic Toc stuff and outside interests have to be considered if he stays or chooses to go closer to home or the spotlight. Chase Claypool is young and while a great talent could be AB and potential Ju Ju Part Trois. Different era and class of young players, but not sure if he can be that solid consistent #1 if both Washington and Ju Ju are gone. Dionte Johnson has some consistency and health issues. He and Ebron bring a new meaning to 50/50 ball sometimes. I like his character and potential, but again, until I see more on the field there are still questions marks. If Ju Ju leaves for Greener $$$ pastures, we trade Washington, and are left with only Chase, Dionte, and Ray Ray, WR becomes a huge position of need for 2022. I wouldn't gamble here. I don't mind some gambles, but the team will probably have to decide to keep Ju Ju or Washington going forward, and I am not so sure that I am ready to do that today. I am a huge Ju Ju fan, but not sure if he is the long term answer at WR or if I am willing to give Washington the keys to the car so to speak. I think that Washington is probably the most stable and consistent WR despite being the #4 WR. I really hated to see Nelson leave. I felt much better about the secondary with him than without him. Right now I would be patient and wait to see who gets cut. Only exception would be if a team approached about a solid veteran that may be a cap casualty or something. We could definitely use an upgrade at CB and Nickel in particular. ILB I am content with Bush, Shobert and Spillane. Buddy Johnson is up and coming at #4. Either Allen or UGIII can serve as fifth if they keep five. Spillane had a tough preseason and was asked to do more than what he would or probably should regularly. He is better as a role ILB than he is being given credit for. Tough kid and I think (I should say hope) he bounces back to pre injury form of 2020. Most glaring hole to me is back-up FS behind Minkah. I would have loved for my hometown kid to sign here instead of Dallas. This is an area that I would be aggressively seeking help. Lastly, I take the Ebron ship on its final journey. I think we all believe that Freiermuth is the future at TE. Ebron is a threat, even as a decoy. I love Radar's heart and is my sentimental pick to make the roster as TE3. He plays special teams and has a blocking attitude. He fills a role and getting another TE who blocks does little The Steelers had too many holes to plug this offseason with everyone they lost and cut. There was no way to replace everyone and address our depth issues. While I agree Juju may not stick around, Washington isnt going to really solve anything. I also wouldnt really call him consistent either. When he was getting more touches, he had issues. Still a solid player, but he is likely gone after this year even if we lose Juju. Thats why I suggested Kenny Stills. He can give us what Washington does. And if we lose Washington and Juju next offseason, keep Stills another season and then draft someone or even sign another cheap FA WR. Defensive back depth is definitely horrible. Then again, it almost always is, for us. A testament to Colbert and Tomlins continuous failures drafting DB talent. Edited August 31, 2021 by 43M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steeler Hitman Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 36 minutes ago, 43M said: Quote The Steelers had too many holes to plug this offseason with everyone they lost and cut. There was no way to replace everyone and address our depth issues. Great point. Not in the era of the salary cap. However, I feel like they have done the best that they could with what they had to work with. Quote While I agree Juju may not stick around, Washington isn't going to really solve anything. I am not so sure that he wouldn't. He has had pretty consistent hands since his rookie season and has shown a knack of being clutch at times. He has never done this as a starter though, so I think he could put up some very good numbers if given the same opportunities. I am not saying he is better than Ju Ju, but may just be coming into his prime/potential is all. Quote I also wouldn't really call him consistent either. When he was getting more touches, he had issues. Still a solid player, but he is likely gone after this year even if we lose Juju. I haven't seen him get to do that with Big Ben. Yeah he had some chances with Mason and Duck, but they are not the same QB. I think he could somewhat fill a role similar to what Ju Ju does. His hands were iffy early, but he was one of the more consistent receivers when everyone else had a case of the dropsies. I am not implying better, but trending, streaking or ascending upward. Quote That's why I suggested Kenny Stills. He can give us what Washington does. And if we lose Washington and Juju next offseason, keep Stills another season and then draft someone or even sign another cheap FA WR. Kenny Stills has talent, but bounces all over the place. He is a bit of a football mercenary in that regard. Yeah, he could be good or this could be another season, another town, and another team for him. We need some dependability at WR. Again, Would Chase and Dionte be ready for 1A and 1B? I would rather keep Ju Ju and Washington if I could. I also have to see what they do this year. My mind is not completely sold on Ju Ju's commitment to Pittsburgh, Dionte's consistency, or Chase Claypool maturing into a #1. Time and tape will tell. Pulling for them, but not etched in stone yet. Quote Defensive back depth is definitely horrible. Then again, it almost always is, for us. A testament to Colbert and Tomlins continuous failures drafting DB talent. A lot of questions. i will be curious to see how they react to some cuts in the secondary, particularly FS and CB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
43M Posted August 31, 2021 Share Posted August 31, 2021 17 minutes ago, Steeler Hitman said: Kenny Stills has talent, but bounces all over the place. He is a bit of a football mercenary in that regard. Yeah, he could be good or this could be another season, another town, and another team for him. We need some dependability at WR. Again, Would Chase and Dionte be ready for 1A and 1B? I would rather keep Ju Ju and Washington if I could. I also have to see what they do this year. My mind is not completely sold on Ju Ju's commitment to Pittsburgh, Dionte's consistency, or Chase Claypool maturing into a #1. Time and tape will tell. Pulling for them, but not etched in stone yet. Washington could easily become a "football mercenary" too. Im not sold on any of our WRs being true number 1s, but that includes Washington. I think Washington is a decent player, but he is kind of a deep ball specialist. I think Claypool is better at that IMO. I dont think Washington has a ton to offer us beyond what we have in Claypool. I wouldnt be opposed to keeping Washington for the right price, but woukd he even want to stay? My main desire for trading Washington isnt for future picks. We are in win now mode. Id much rather see a player for player swap where we trade Washington for a decent DB. Only way Id be really interested in trading JW for a pick is if we can get a top 100 pick for him, otherwise, Im fine with keeping him. Either way, if we dont keep Juju around, I see WR being a need next year, unless DJ and/or Claypool make a few strides forward in their development. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steeler Hitman Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 21 hours ago, 43M said: Washington could easily become a "football mercenary" too. I don't see that right now, but not saying that you are wrong. He just hasn't shown me that side yet. But again, neither did AB or Lev before they left for gr$$ner pastures only to find the grass isn't always gr$$ner on the other side. Quote I'm not sold on any of our WRs being true number 1s, but that includes Washington. I think Washington is a decent player, but he is kind of a deep ball specialist. I think Claypool is better at that IMO. Can't disagree with you here either. Again, speculation on development growth and maturity. I was just saying that "I see" Washington trending upward. I do believe that Ju Ju will catch over 100 passes this year if healthy. I do believe that Washington has grown and matured as a player that he is capable of the same if given a chance. Different style than Ju Ju, but nonetheless "capable." Quote I don't think Washington has a ton to offer us beyond what we have in Claypool. I wouldn't be opposed to keeping Washington for the right price, but would he even want to stay? Opportunity and $$$ have a lot to do with that answer. Quote My main desire for trading Washington isn't for future picks. We are in win now mode. I'd much rather see a player for player swap where we trade Washington for a decent DB. Only way I'd be really interested in trading JW for a pick is if we can get a top 100 pick for him, otherwise, I'm fine with keeping him. Makes sense. I definitely prefer to keep Washington though. Not sure he would fetch a top 100 pick, but I think he is more than good enough to be. Quote Either way, if we don't keep Juju around, I see WR being a need next year, unless DJ and/or Claypool make a few strides forward in their development. That is essentially what I am saying. I need to see some things from Ju Ju, Claypool and Dionte before I commit to the possible changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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