The Steelers could really upgrade the offensive line this offseason. The question is will it happen. The Steelers have needed upgrades on the offensive line for years. This is another good reason Bruce Arians is gone. Arians was happy with the offensive line. He has called Willie Colon “as good a right tackle as there is in this league” and has said about Doug Legursky, ”If he were four inches taller he’d be in the Pro Bowl. As a football player he’s one of the best we have.” Arians did not know his butt from a hole in the ground when it came to the offensive line. He over valued these guys horribly. That was one of the reasons it was help back.
It has not been until the last two seasons that they have attempted to make the upgrades. Drafting Maurkice Pouncey and Marcus Gilbert has really improved the offensive line. It is time to take the next step. Where will the next upgrade come?
The upgrade is not coming at center. Maurkice Pouncey is the center. He has been named to the Pro Bowl in both of his seasons with the team. He was named first team all pro this year. He is the Steelers center until further notice. So the upgrades are going to come around him.
It also does not seem like the Steelers are going to upgrade at tackle either. They plan on moving Marcus Gilbert to left tackle next year. He will replace Max Starks who is an unrestricted free agent. They also have Willie Colon who they plan to play at right tackle. The only chance I see of an upgrade at offensive tackle is if Mike Adams out of Ohio State falls to them in the draft. He would be the left tackle and Gilbert could go to right tackle where he belongs and Willie Colon could either move inside to guard or hit the road.
It looks like the upgrade will most likely come inside at guard. The Steelers have Ramon Foster and Doug Legursky who are both restricted free agents this year. They will most likely both get the lowest tendered offer. Legursky is a guy you want on your team. He can play all three interior positions and is a good guy to have as a back up. He is not a starter in this league though unless at center. That is not happening with Pouncey. Foster seemed to develop in his second year but ended up in Tomlin’s doghouse and was not a starter at the beginning of 2011. Once he became a starter again he played great at the start of the season but faded late. He did not seem to improve again at the end of the season.
Both of these positions can be upgraded. This is the year to do it as well. The Steelers could have a retooled offensive line with two new guards next season. The Steelers could take to the draft and get some good talent at one of the positions. They could get guys in the first, second or third round and have them possibly start next season. Some targets the Steelers could look at would be Cordy Glenn, and Peter Konz in round one. David DeCastro will not make it to our pick. In rounds 2 and three there is an abundance of guys who could start on this team. Guys like Kelechi Osemele, Senio Kelemete, Nate Potter and my personal favorite Brandon Washington. You are probably asking where is Kevin Zeitler on this list. He is almost the same guy as Kraig Urbik who we did not give a chance so I have taken him out.
The Steelers do not have to stop there either. There are a number of good guys in free agency. It will just depend on what our salary cap will allow. The best of which will be out of our price range in Carl Nicks. The guy I would want on this team is Ben Grubbs. Grubbs would bolster this line tremendously and would hurt Baltimore just as bad by losing him. If we target one guy in free agency at any position it should be Grubbs. He is only 27 and is a great blocker.
Any upgrade would be nice. As strapped as the Steelers are for cap space it will be hard to do in free agency but there is nothing wrong with young guys in the draft. Here is what I would love to see our offensive line look like next season in best case scenario.
- Left Tackle- Marcus Gilbert
- Left Guard- Ben Grubbs
- Center- Maurkice Pouncey
- Right Guard- Brandon Washington
- Right Tackle- Willie Colon
I went with Gilbert instead of Adams because I do not see Adams falling that far if we got him though I would be ecstatic. We can pick up Grubbs in free agency. Then spend a second round pick on Brandon Washington. I will live with Colon for one more year I guess. This would be a serious upgrade next year though and we can get a right tackle the following season.
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