Xavier Grimble sits behind Jesse James on the Steelers depth chart at tight end, but that doesn't mean he's not a threat to opposing defenses.
Whether at the point of attack or in pass protection, Grimble is not reliable as a blocker. Coming into 2017, he must work at improving his blocking so that he can be called upon in more situations.
While there are many players who need to work on their games, Grimble's skill set makes him such a threat in the passing game that if he were to become a regular option in the offense, it would add yet another dimension to the Steelers' already prolific group.
Grimble's receiving skills and athleticism make him a threat whenever he is on the field. The problem is that when it's a running play, he becomes a liability.
Regardless, we're here to look at why Grimble is such a threat as a receiver.
Coming off the line of scrimmage, Grimble as a second tight end attracts the lowest priority coverage options from defenses. Doing so gets him isolated against defensive backs and linebackers whom he can take advantage of with his routes.
Watch how he goes up against George Iloka, the Bengals' safety. Grimble runs a simple double move into a post pattern to the center of the field and Iloka can't do anything to stop him. His initial break off the line forces Iloka to honor his threat of going underneath. This freezes him just enough for Grimble to use his big frame to box out Iloka and present a great target for Ben Roethlisberger:
In Grimble's limited playing time in 2016, this route was what made him his money. Grimble was happy to set up opponents who weren't sure how to handle such a large mobile receiver using the outside-to-inside move.
Watch here how he gains 20 yards with the same concept against the Chiefs' top-tier cornerback Marcus Peters. Grimble's move forces Peters to be conservative and go for the tackle:
Grimble seems to naturally use his size and has the athleticism to blow right by defenders who want to challenge his routes. The problem I saw with his routes was that he didn't seem to execute too many routes off the route tree.
He is asked specifically to stretch the field, and if he's given the matchup that Roethlisberger likes, he'll get the target on the play.
Watch when he matches up with Albert McClellan at the line of scrimmage; Grimble easily maneuvers past the linebacker and catches the ball in traffic while taking a big hit to hold on for the touchdown:
This is what Grimble showed glimpses of in 2016. He could become an even bigger factor if he improves his blocking in 2017. Doing so would allow for the Steelers to put him into more formations, and not just on passing downs.
That means when defenses are looking for Le'Veon Bell to run the ball, Grimble could be the faster tight end who splits the safeties for Roethlisberger to hit on a play-action pass.
Much still needs to be seen, and James has done a solid job at the tight end position, But Grimble's athleticism could put him over the top if he can put together just a few fundamentals that would make him a reasonable choice as an every-down tight end.