Steelers biggest offseason questions

It has been over a month since Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers were defeated in a shocking manner, by the division rival Cleveland Browns.  A hopeful season in which the team started 11-0, ended in utter disappointment.  The Steelers finished the regular season 12-4, dropping 4 out of the last 5.  A dismantlement by the Browns and salary cap issues left a few Steelers players’ futures with the team in question.  

• Ben Roethlisberger

By far the most important player on this list is quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.  Ben is 38 years old and statistically coming off one of his better years, throwing for 3,803 yards, 33 touchdowns, and 10 picks. He has one year remaining on his deal; However, the Steelers are in a stranglehold with cap space.  They would save $19 million by cutting Big Ben.  Before the Super Bowl, Ben stated that he would restructure his contract and does not care about his salary for this year.  However, with long-time Steelers center and friend, Maurkice Pouncey retiring, and GM Kevin Colbert failing to commit to the 17-year veteran this week in a press conference, Ben’s future could be in question.

Prediction: Signs a 1-year team friendly deal

• Juju Smith-Schuster

Juju is by far the most controversial Steeler on this list.  A lot of people see him as a distraction due to his social media presence.  If you are willing to look past that, people would realize he is a pretty good football player.  Although his stats have dropped significantly since Antonio Brown left Pittsburgh, he has still been one of the better receivers in the NFL.  In 2019, Juju’s first year as the number one receiver, Big Ben went down in week 2 and the Steelers offense was abysmal from there on out.  In 2020 with Big Ben back, Juju was moved into the slot and was the leader of that young receiving room.  He finished with 97 receptions for 831 yards and 9 touchdowns.  Juju blocked, caught, and ran hard after the catch for the black and gold.  The only question is, will he take a team-friendly deal? 

Prediction: Juju signs with the Los Angeles Chargers

• Bud Dupree

The Steelers defensive unit got hit hard by injuries in 2020.  No injury might have been more impactful than Bud Dupree tearing his ACL in week 11.  He and T.J. Watt form the best pass-rushing duo in the NFL.  T.J. kills them with power and finesse and Bud is a terrorizing speed rusher.  He had 8 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 8 TFL’s and 15 QB hits in 11 games this year, playing under the franchise tag.  With his departure, it allowed teams to double T.J. Watt and really disrupted what Pittsburgh was trying to do on defense.  The market is currently cloudy for Bud Dupree.  Will a team break the bank for him coming off of an ACL injury? Or will he be forced to sign with the Steelers for less money?

Prediction: Bud signs with the Kansas City Chiefs