McDonald welcomes 'hard' challenge of replacing AB

Vance McDonald is primed for a breakout year with the Steelers.

Last season, McDonald caught 50 passes for 610 yards and four touchdowns with a 69.4 percent catch rate. Those were career bests for McDonald, who spent the first five years of his NFL career with the 49ers.

Now, with Antonio Brown and Jesse James gone, McDonald figures to be in an even better position to succeed. It's a point he recognizes well.

"[I'm focused on] just maintaining my health and just consistency with [Ben Roethlisberger]," McDonald was telling me at the Rooney Complex after Day 2 of Steelers OTAs. "I think at the end of the day, you can both be tremendous athletes but if you're not thinking, breathing on the same [page] — that's really what I'm trying to go for this offseason. It's just, 'How much closer can I get with Ben?' Because at the end of the day, like I said, I think it's about relationships, so thinking the same, on the same page, and I think you'll connect a lot more."

Lost in the context of the stat line above is an even more important number: 14. That's how many games McDonald started in 2018 for the Steelers. He appeared in 15 games total, missing just one contest completely. Previously, his career best was 11 starts in both 2015 and 2016, and he appeared in just 10 during his first season with the Steelers in 2017.

With the openings on offense, his continued work with Roethlisberger and his rigorous focus on his health, it's not a stretch to imagine McDonald becoming a Pro Bowl-level player. With Rob Gronkowski's retirement and Jared Cook moving from the Raiders to the Saints, there are two open spots in the AFC, and McDonald could certainly claim one of them.

It's just that ... he doesn't care about that. At all.

"No [the Pro Bowl doesn't matter]," McDonald told me. "I'm never specifically targeting some kind of selfish or self-centered award or anything. I think that's a product of high-level play, so if that happens, that's amazing but, man, I'm all about winning games."

McDonald himself will undoubtedly play a part in that whole "winning games" thing, but after him, the Steelers have questionable depth at the tight end position. There's Xavier Grimble, who caught six passes last season, rookie Zach Gentry, practice squad player Cortland Scotland-Williamson and undrafted free agent Kevin Rader. Right now, that's it.

To McDonald, this provides an opportunity to step into a leadership role. It's something he embraces.

"It's good. We got three young guys, I think, that have a shot to make rosters, whether it's here or somewhere else," McDonald said. "Man, I know what it's like. It seems like just yesterday that I was a rookie or, you know a second-, third-year guy, so it's always enjoyable to pass along knowledge."

At 28 years old and with somewhat limited experience, though, how is McDonald able to seamlessly transition into this "big brother" type of role? To him, it's just about preparation and communication.

"At the end of the day, I'm trying to make our room the best that it can possibly be," McDonald said. "I think that's what it requires in order to play good, team football. I have to unselfishly approach those guys; like, if I were to go down or X were to go down or anybody, our room can still be effective. I just want to approach those guys like I can fill in seven years of knowledge, so I'm going to help them out any way I can."

For Gentry, a 6-foot-8 physical specimen out of Michigan, specifically, McDonald thinks the learning curve might be steep, but he's already identified the challenges ahead to help Gentry adapt as quickly as possible.

"Well, first off, the NFL is way faster than college," McDonald said. "But when you're talking about a guy with that kind of size, obviously playing low to the ground is very difficult. Naturally, you want to run high and come off the ball, so that's the first thing he's going to have to focus on and think about, is staying low, playing low and playing fast. That's really phase one for him."

And if it all comes together? That's when things can get special for this offense. McDonald says he's already feeling the positive energy and he's excited for the season ahead.

Get that and more in the full video from the Rooney Complex right here:

HUNTER’S VIEW

McDonald seems poised for a breakout season. In fact, not only do I believe he stays healthy, but he's also making the Pro Bowl. Still, he’s basically a one-man band on the roster and his injury history can't be ignored. They did not address the position in the draft, at least not with anyone who can contribute significant snaps in 2019.

McDonald is very physical at the point of attack and likes to run through tacklers, making him more susceptible to missing time. If McDonald were injured for any length of time, would the Steelers be prepared to move forward with Grimble as their No. 1? I don’t think so, and neither do the Steelers. In fact, Tuesday they placed a waiver claim on second-year player and former Jets tight end Jordan Leggett. They lost the claim to Tampa Bay based on their waiver ranking, but the team clearly is seeking more depth. If the Steelers want consistent production at the position, they need to make a move to bring in a veteran before or during training camp.

MATT SUNDAY GALLERY