NFL Rumors: Pittsburgh Steelers Will Look to Free Agency for More Depth on Offense?
Only one preseason game is in the books thus far for the Pittsburgh Steelers this season, and already some concerns have arisen as far as the health of the offense.
The biggest blow to Pittsburgh’s offense in Thursday night’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles was fullback David Johnson tearing his anterior cruciate ligament, and reportedly being out for the entire 2012 season. Not only have the Steelers loss their best lead blocker in the running game, but they also loss another weapon in the passing game. Head coach Mike Tomlin had plans on using Johnson as a tight end as well.
Now Pittsburgh is left with unproven fullback Will Johnson.
On the offensive line, the Steelers were already dealing with injuries prior to their head-to-head battle with the Eagles. Guard Willie Colon and offensive tackle Max Starks were sidelined with an ankle injury and a knee injury respectively.
In addition to the injuries to Colon and Starks, rookie offensive tackle Mike Adams suffered an injury to his right knee in the second offensive series versus Philadelphia. Adams’ injury isn’t considered to be too serious, but serious enough to possibly keep him out of action for the remainder of training camp and majority of the preseason.
With Adams potentially missing playing time, he may not be up to speed come Week 1 of the regular season when the Steelers face the Denver Broncos. Furthermore, with Starks possibly starting the season on the physically unable to perform list, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will be left vulnerable on his blindside on passing plays.
The Steelers can’t afford to give up 42 sacks and 77 quarterback hits like they did last season.
Pittsburgh doesn’t have much versatility between the offensive tackle and guard positions to shuffle players around on the offensive line. And as mentioned before, the Steelers only have one other option at fullback.
The free agency pool isn’t too deep for any of these positions. As far as offensive tackle, there is former Carolina Panthers tackle Jeff Otah, but the New York Jets rejected him for not passing his physical due to his bad knee.
Then there’s Tony Pashos, who has played with four NFL teams, most recently with the Cleveland Browns.
And there is always the possibility of bring back familiar faces. Trevis Turner was on Pittsburgh’s practice squad in 2011 before being released. Also, guard Chris Kemoeatu is still available; however, I don’t see how bringing him back would help their offensive tackle position.
As for fullback, there are only three true fullbacks floating around in free agency. James McCluskey, Ahmard Hall, and Will Ta’ufo’ou are the only backs that will come close to contributing in the Steelers’ running game.
Johnson’s ACL tear is the only crucial blow to the Steelers’ offense. The lack of a solid lead blocker can hinder an already questionable running game that is without Rashard Mendenhall. Therefore, I think adding another fullback is much needed.
As for offensive tackle, hopefully Adams can recover quickly, and be physically and mentally ready for the season opener. If he isn’t ready by then, Pittsburgh may have to turn to free agency for left tackle, and that option doesn’t look too promising.
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