Maurkice Pouncey's retirement opened a huge hole in the middle of the Steelers' offensive line. So far, all that Kevin Colbert has done to address the position is re-sign J.C. Hassenhauer and bring back B.J. Finney after he was released from the Bengals.
That outlook on the position of a third-string center and a backup who was traded from the Seahawks and cut last year has a lot of NFL Draft experts and writers predicting the Steelers to target a center in the early rounds this year.
And hey, I'm one of them. My first mock draft had the Steelers trading back to pick Oklahoma's center Creed Humphrey. Between him, Landon Dickerson, Josh Myers and Quinn Meinerz, there are good options out there for the Steelers to invest an early pick at center.
But after talking with Mike Tomlin and the Steelers' staff, Finney's eyes are on being the starter for the Steelers. He opened up about his journey back to the Steelers with Missi Matthews on Steelers.com.
"I got to talk to (Kevin) Colbert and coach Tomlin then talked on the phone with assistant offensive line coach (Chris) Morgan and Adrian Klemm, the head offensive line coach," Finney It's just a matter of me coming in and being ready to roll. Coach T has already told me that my fate is in my own hands."
Although Finney never started for the Seahawks or Bengals in 2020 and only played 31 snaps, COVID-19's impact on his season set the tone for how rough drop in playing time and performance.
"Last March, I signed with Seattle," Finney told Matthews about his 2020 struggles. "That was right as COVID was really kicking off in the country and Seattle was the hotbed in the country in that time. So I was unable to travel there to get my physical and train. Fast forward to July, I showed up to Seattle overweight and out of shape as expected, but I got to keep the contract so that was good. Things didn't go well and I got traded to Cincinnati in October, but by then they had their guys going forward in the season and bringing someone into the fold was really hard to do. We weren't surprised in early March when I got released."
After a rough year, it was a relief for Finney when the Steelers called, giving him a chance to re-establish himself as a solid NFL offensive lineman.
"Once that happened, it was a couple of days and Kevin Colbert and Omar Khan and said they wanted to bring me back," Finney continued. "I knew it was a great fit and a reset mode where we could know what to expect. Reset mode for me is just getting back to being in shape and ready to roll prior to 2020. Knowing this system that coach (Matt) Canada wants to bring in and blending with Ben (Roethlisberger) again, just being back in a room where I know the ins and outs, that's a reset."
That 'reset' could be something the Steelers give the Steelers good reason to believe Finney might not only turn it around, but be able to start for them right away.
During Finney's 13 starts for the Steelers between 2016-2019, the team went 11-2, averaged 125.2 rushing yards per game and only allowed only 1.7 sacks per game. Those are rates which would've ranked the Steelers eleventh in rushing and tenth in sacks allowed in 2020.
While that doesn't show Finney was the player who put all that success together, it does show that he can be part of an offense that builds that kind of success. Especially when the team has a top-tier primary running back.
In those 13 games Finney played, the Steelers averaged 172 rushing yards per game when Le'Veon Bell was carrying the ball, and just 96 yards when it was either James Conner, Jaylen Samuels or Benny Snell.
If anything, that might show just how important drafting that top-tier running back early should be for the Steelers. That's why I had them picking Alabama's Najee Harris in my latest mock draft, and broke down the film on Harris, Clemson's Travis Etienne, and North Carolina's Javonte Williams in this week's Carter's Classroom.
But if the Steelers take one of those backs, it puts a dent in their chances to get one of those top centers, as many of them could get drafted before their 55th overall pick comes in the second round. Colbert will also be looking at other talented players to replenish the roster at offensive tackle, inside linebacker, cornerback and edge rushers in the second round that might be better football players than whoever's left at center.
That's where Finney might impact the Steelers' draft plans. If Colbert grades defensive asset at a key position who better than the available centers in the second or third rounds, having Finney as his starter for the season opener might give him the comfort to not get a player like Meyers or Meinerz with the 55th pick.
Center would still be a need with Finney, but Colbert might be more content with the Steelers waiting to draft Tennessee's Trey Hill, Penn State's Michael Menet, or Pitt's Jimmy Morrissey in the later rounds and have them develop behind Finney while the Steelers get key reinforcements at other positions of need.
Even Finney recognizes that as an issue, as he's well aware the locker room is going to be different than it was the four years he was with the Steelers.
"There's been a drastic change," Finney said. "I've had many conversations with my wife about a lot of the guys who I've been there with and are no longer there. Not just Maurkice Pouncey, but Ramon (Foster) and there's a possibility (Alejandro Villanueva) won't be there and Matt Feiler just signed with the Chargers. So just in my room alone, the same seven guys who were there for years, there's only two of us left. And it happened overnight. Even in different position groups around the team with guys who I was close with like Vince Williams and Mike Hilton, those guys are gone. But it's always good to have the (Steelers) emblem on the side of your head."
All that change is real, however I don't see those needs outweighing the Steelers' wanting a sturdy center for the future. Each year the Steelers have appeared in a Super Bowl, they've had a top NFL center in the middle of their line with Ray Mansfield and Mike Webster in the 70s, Dermontii Dawson in the 90s, Jeff Hartings in the 2000s, and Maurkice Pouncey in the 2010s.
The Steelers will still prioritize running back in the first or second round, but the only way I'd see them passing on center in the second round is if there's a run at the position that leaves them with no options or a highly talented player at another position they never expected to fall to 55 becomes available.
