
The Steelers surprised a lot of people last season. They started off going 11-0 then they ended with a 12-4 record and won the division. In the playoffs they were bounced by the up and coming Cleveland Browns in a game where they never looked good from the very first snap. Was that game a sign of things to come for the Steelers?
This off-season the Steelers look to be in major cap trouble. A lot of their money is going to vets and a lot of key pieces could be walking such as Juju Smith-Schuster and Bud Dupree. Bud Dupree tore his ACL last year and in games without him the Steelers went 1-4 including losses to division rivals Cincinatti Bengals, and the Cleveland Browns in the playoffs. This goes to show how big of an asset Bud Dupree is to this defense. As for Smith-Schuster he had a huge bounce back year and proved that he can be a reliable option for any team.
These are just two of the names that could be out in the off-season. Other names include running back James Connor, center Maurkice Pouncy, cornerback Steve Nelson, and now there’s even Talks of Big Ben possibly retiring.
The Steelers may be able to get away with their old vets for one more year, but a long overdue rebuild should be on the mind of Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin right now.