Why the Steelers Won't Fall Victim to the Cap "Massacre"

ESPN's Dianna Russini is one of the more well-informed, reliable sources when it comes to NFL news. She was the first one to report that JJ Watt was receiving offers between $15-16M, which ultimately happened when the Arizona Cardinals offered a contract of 2 years $31M that he ended up signing. The rest of the public perception was that he would end up taking a pay cut of sorts to "ring chase" or play with his brothers on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Well earlier this week, Russini dropped another pretty big nugget on what to expect next week.

Since being tweeted, players like Kyle Rudolph of the Minnesota Vikings, Golden Tate of the New York Giants, and Kyle Van Noy of the Miami Dolphins, who signed a 4-year $50M contract LAST offseason, all were cut by the respective teams. Russini even doubled down on The Pat McAfee Show saying this was just one quote from a coach that really stuck but other coaches echoed the same sentiment.

With that being said, I would not expect any Steeler who is currently under contract being released. Depending where the salary cap ends up, the Steelers currently sit under or even with that number thanks to some creativity with the contracts of Cam Heyward and Ben Roethlisberger and the retirements of Vance McDonald and Maurkice Pouncey. This only leaves the Steelers with a handful of players that would be considered cap casualty candidates.

Via OverTheCap

Now if we are dissecting the table above, only six players would fall into that category of "worth it" just because of numbers: Joe Haden, Steven Nelson, Stephon Tuitt, Eric Ebron, Vince Williams, and David DeCastro. Yes, TJ Watt carries the biggest relief but come on...no shot. So what about the rest? What is the reason the Steelers would keep each of them? Glad you asked.

Nelson and Haden play arguably the most critical position on the defensive end, this just so happens to be a position group the Steelers currently lack experience. Outside of the two veterans, their roster currently houses players under contract like Justin Layne and James Pierre both of whom have limited playing time. Cam Sutton and Mike Hilton will be unrestricted free agents and there is no guarantee the Steelers will be able to retain even one of them. Nickle cornerback is a position that has become a main stay in today's NFL and Hilton has excelled in that role since coming to Pittsburgh in 2017. Hilton has been reliable not only in coverage but getting after the passer as well making his skillset very unique compared to the rest of the NFL, so it should surprise no one if he gets a huge payday elsewhere. Sutton is a realistic option to return as his name is lesser known commodity around the league outside of Pittsburgh. I expect Nelson and Haden to both suit up for the Steelers this year as these two are the reason the Steelers secondary has gone from a laughing joke to one of the best in the league. Haden even responded to the report he could be a cap casualty, simply tweeting, "I predict they don't".  The only contract news I would expect to hear would be an extension for one, if not both.

Ebron and DeCastro being released are both unrealistic options. No matter how frustrated you may be with Ebron and his issues dropping the football, the next options on the roster are not something to be excited about. Outside of Ebron, there is Kevin Radar and Zach Gentry. The position is very thin for the Steelers and they would only be hurting themselves getting rid of the only proven player they have at the position. Not to mention Ebron slowly became one of Roethlisberger's favorite targets over the middle, an area that could take a hit with the possible departure of JuJu Smith-Schuster. In DeCastro's case, this would set the offensive line back even worse than it is. 2020 was a year he would want to forget as he wasn't the All-Pro guard we were all used to seeing. Let's not forget he was hampered with a knee injury all of training camp and at the beginning of the season, so there is a chance he bounces back to form in 2021. Even if he doesn't, his experience is going to be crucial in reviving this offensive line with new coach, Adrian Klemm. Roethlisberger has essentially lost "his guy" each of the past two years with the retirements of Pouncey and Ramon Foster, so it is time DeCastro is that guy to lean on. He will likely have at least double experience as the next closest starter on the offensive line heading into next season. Not to be repetitive but the Steelers simply don't have depth at the position besides Kevin Dotson and to put it frankly, a bunch of "nameless gray faces" to round out the bunch.

Onto Tuitt, it would be baffling to hear he got released. The reason Tuitt could get released is the emergence of players like Isaiah Buggs and Henry Mondeaux. Both played respectable in meaningful minutes last season when the team was hit with injuries or COVID. They are obviously not on the same level as Tuitt but both much cheaper options by a long mile. Also, I would expect the Steelers to resign free agents Tyson Alualu or Chris Wormley with a piece of the money they would save to help with depth. On the other hand, if it wasn't for Heyward and Watt as the headliners, Tuitt's name would carry much more star power behind it. Instead he quietly was 8th in the NFL with 11 sacks. He is just as crucial to the success of the front four as Watt and Heyward and he is going to be relied upon more with Bud Dupree being a free agent. Again it would be a shocker to hear his name not in Pittsburgh next year with how important he has been for them.

Finally we get to the most realistic scenario and that is Williams. Unfortunately for Williams, the big bodied, run stopping linebacker seems to be fading. The NFL seems to be looking at linebackers that can run and keep up with the new breed of NFL quarterbacks. Teams are looking for the Devin White's and Devin Bush's of the game. Fortunately for the Steelers, Bush is on their team. They also have third year linebacker Ulysees Gilbert, who has a skillset comparable to Bush coming out of college but has landed on the IR the past two years with back issues. The Steelers will likely return exclusive rights free agent Robert Spillane as well who stepped up in a big way when Bush went down with an ACL injury. Spillane possesses the skillset similar to Williams being more of a run stopper (we all remember the Derrick Henry collision), and much cheaper. The reason Williams has the upper hand on all three players and will likely see another year in Pittsburgh, availability. Bush, Gilbert, and Spillane are all coming off injury seasons and with the first two, there is no guarantee they will return to form. It would be foolish for the Steelers to salvage a few million dollars at a position they need a guy to rely on week in and week out. Williams also brings a great pass rush skillset that can aid in the eventual loss of Dupree.

Like I said before, the Steelers are not likely to add names to the 18 player unrestricted free agent list they currently have. In this case, addition by subtraction doesn't hold true as it would further their chances at another Super Bowl title just to save a few extra pennies. I do expect a couple of these players mentioned to have their contracts reworked in a way to provide more relief so they have the ability to sign some crucial free agents, as well as fund their 2021 draft class.

What do you expect SteelerNation? Do you think some names could get released? What names do you hope stayz/ Drop a comment below!

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