Steelers offensive tackle Willie Colon who has only played one game in the last two seasons is on my list of guys who should be gone this offseason. After looking at all the cap numbers and potential cost savings to the Steelers by players who could be released it looks like we will be stuck with Colon for another season at least. He basically can’t be cut. So the Steelers are going to have to look for cost savings somewhere else. Someone who we might need could lose their job because Colon has to stay.
Colon is due $5.7 million this season. If the Steelers were to release Colon they would only save $900k of that $5.7 million in cap money. It is not worth it in any way shape or form for Colon to not be on this team next year.
It bothers me that this is happening. Colon should have never been signed in the first place. We had already drafted Marcus Gilbert in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Now Gilbert who had a good season at right tackle which is where he belongs has to move to left tackle. That is because Colon has to play right tackle. He can not go to the left side. So we had a good right tackle who now is pushed to the left side because Colon basically can not be cut.
How many times do we have to do this before we get the hint. The Chicago Bears were ready to sign Colon and we made him an offer. This is the same thing that happened with Kemo a few years back. He had a deal with the Jets and we jumped in and over paid him. Now we have a guy who can barely walk and is a penalty machine. He was a penalty machine when we paid him though too. Let people take our garbage instead of getting in bad salary cap situations by overpaying unproductive linemen. Draft someone new. Those guys are cheaper and at least they have a chance to improve.
Colon had potential when he came out of college. He was talked about as being a steal as a guard. The Steelers have refused to move him inside or even attempt to do it. They kept him at right tackle where he struggled with speed rushers. Then when he came back this season in his one game back he lost the strong push he used to get in the run game. He now has not played in 2 years and both of his injuries will affect his strength in blocking. Which will only make him struggle more.
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