The Steelers essentially had the same offensive line from 2014 on. A player here or there would leave, but the core was the same.
Kelvin Beachum left after that 2015 season after being replaced by Alejandro Villanueva, who had spent the 2014 season on the practice squad, midway through the season. He joined Ramon Foster, Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro and Marcus Gilbert in the starting lineup.
Then, injuries began to take a toll on Gilbert, and he was traded after the 2018 season, replaced by Matt Feiler, who like Villanueva had spent time on the team's practice squad. Also there was longtime backup B.J. Finney, another former practice squad player who had joined the team as an undrafted player.
That group of Villanueva, Foster, Pouncey, DeCastro, Gilbert, Finney and Feiler were together for about five years, which is an eternity in the NFL.
But Foster retired after the 2019 season -- joining us here at DK Pittsburgh Sports -- and Finney signed as a free agent with the Seahawks. This year, Pouncey joined Foster in retirement, while Villanueva and Feiler left in free agency for the Ravens and Chargers, respectively.
The Steelers brought Finney back this year on a one-year contract, otherwise DeCastro would be the lone returning member of what was considered one of the best offensive lines in the league for several years.
"There were the seven of us that were together for five years, which is kind of unheard of," Finney admitted this week. "It’s extremely rare. We didn’t really have to even say anything. We were always on the same page. Having these new guys come in, there’s a younger energy. I won’t say they’re hungrier. But they’re starting to find their traction in the NFL and they’re starting to figure out what it’s like."
The group just got old.
Now, the Steelers hope they are forming a new group. Tackle Chuks Okorafor was selected in the third round of the 2018 draft. The Steelers also signed Zach Banner, a fourth-round pick of the Colts in 2017, that year after his release by the Panthers following a struggle with his weight. Then, in 2020, guard Kevin Dotson was added in the fourth round. This year, they selected center Kendrick Green in the third round and tackle Dan Moore in the fourth to continue the rebuild.
It's a far cry different than what happened from 2013 through 2017, when the Steelers selected just two offensive linemen -- Wesley Johnson in the fifth round in 2014 and Jerald Hawkins in the fourth round in 2016 -- in a five-year span.
Right now, the 31-year-old DeCastro at right guard is the only given. The left tackle job is Okorafor's to lose, as is the right tackle job for Banner. And Dotson is certainly the front-runner at left guard, while Finney is the presumptive opening-day starter at center.
But with the additions of veteran tackle Joe Haeg and guard Rashaad Coward, both of whom have starting experience elsewhere, there are some other options, as well.
There are obvious questions surrounding so many new faces, but the Steelers finished dead last in running the ball in 2020. A makeover was in order.
It's definitely a different look for the Steelers. Though there are presumptive starters at the other spots, it's still an open competition.
"With David DeCastro being the only returning starter, everything is kind of open," Finney said. "Everybody is competing for a spot, it doesn’t matter where it’s at on the board. It’s always up for grabs. I’m coming in as a veteran presence and my experience and I’m going to do my best to be a starter from Day 1."
MORE STEELERS
• Isn't it funny how "rumors" get started? A blogger posed the theory that the Steelers should trade for the Cowboys' Leighton Vander Esch. Suddenly, it was a hot rumor that I have now been asked about multiple times. Here's the thing, a blogger with no connections or sources with either team saying the Steelers should trade for Vander Esch is not a rumor. Nor should it be treated as such. It's an idea. Maybe it has merit and maybe it does not. But it's not at all based in reality. The definition of rumor is "a currently circulating story or report of uncertain or doubtful truth." That's far different from a "report." A report would be that the Steelers and Cowboys have had talks about Vander Esch, who is entering the final season of his rookie contract. They have not, by the way, as of this writing. -- Lolley
• How competitive are NFL players and Ben Roethlisberger, in particular? Enough so that he let everyone know he bested the team's wide receivers in a game of PIG at a get-together at his house over the weekend. "I had them over the other day and we played PIG," Roethlisberger said this week. "I had to show him the old man is still tough to beat." What he didn't say was that they all played a second game, as well. Roethlisberger didn't win that one. "Ray-Ray (McCloud) is pretty good," James Washington said when asked about it. "Ray-Ray and Diontae (Johnson) are more the point-guard types. Ray-Ray and me (are the best basketball players among the receivers). JuJu (Smith-Schuster) might say otherwise. But Ben won the first game, then me and JuJu went down to the wire in the second one. I think we’re all equally pretty good." Amazingly enough, Chase Claypool wasn't mentioned. Claypool averaged nearly 50 points per game and had 11 Division I offers to play basketball in college -- including from Arizona, Michigan and Oregon. Claypool, however, wasn't a big part of those games of PIG, which was probably a good thing for Roethlisberger's ego. He was recovering from a bit of an injury and didn't participate. -- Lolley
PENGUINS
• Ron Hextall confirmed a few days ago the mandate from ownership is to remain in "win-now" mode. That was no surprise, regardless of evidence the Penguins have neither the tradable assets nor the salary-cap space to upgrade their lineup enough by the trade deadline in 2022 to make a serious run at the franchise's sixth Stanley Cup. Now, Hextall's one major personnel move since replacing Jim Rutherford as GM -- acquiring Jeff Carter from Los Angeles for a couple of mid-round draft choices -- suggests it could be folly to underestimate how much of an impact he could have, but his stated goal of bolstering the roster without sacrificing too much of the Penguins' future seems like a middle ground that won't really serve either purpose. After failing to get past Round 1 of the playoffs three years in a row, it's hard to make a compelling case a tweak or two is all that is needed to return the Penguins to championship contention. If the Penguins are going to gamble this team can be transformed into a true threat to claim a Cup, management almost certainly is going to have to be willing to go all-in to enhance the club's chances of short-term success -- and be willing to live with the consequences when the bill for its actions comes due in a few years. -- Dave Molinari
• The expansion draft that will provide players for the new franchise in Seattle is sure to generate a lot of discussion until it takes place July 21 -- it was the subject of a story on this site a few days ago -- with much speculation about which players the 30 clubs involved can expect to lose to the Kraken. That's understandable, and it's reasonable to assume front offices across the continent will do a few mock drafts of their own once the protected lists are announced to try to figure out which of their players will be claimed. Something to keep in mind, though, is Seattle GM Ron Francis and his staff will be trying to build a team, not simply select the most talented player from each of the participating clubs. If Francis decides the Kraken needs, say, a right-handed defenseman who can handle third-pairing minutes, he quite possibly will choose that player, even if the player's current team also has exposed a winger who could work on a No. 2 line and might be considered a better overall player. Factor in the possibility that Francis might grab a player or two because he believes they could bring a serious return at the trade deadline next year and predicting how the draft will unfold becomes trickier than it might appear at first blush. -- Molinari
• There appears to be a groundswell of sentiment in Toronto for the Maple Leafs, who were upset by Montreal in Round 1 of the playoffs and who haven't won a Cup since 1967, to hire Rutherford, whether as GM or as an adviser to the current management group. Rutherford, who made it clear when he abruptly resigned from the Penguins in late January that he was not looking to retire, could certainly be an asset to that organization and, as an Ontario native, likely would be interested in taking on the challenge if he is approached about it. Although Rutherford had his share of misfires during his tenure as GM of the Penguins, including hiring Mike Johnston as his first coach and paying a steep price to get Derick Brassard, that's to be expected of any executive who's as aggressive as he is. And Rutherford was the guy who brought in the likes of Patric Hornqvist, Phil Kessel, Carl Hagelin, Ian Cole, Justin Schultz, Nick Bonino and Trevor Daley, all of whom contributed significantly to the Penguins' titles in 2016 and 2017. In light of all that, Rutherford looks like he would be a natural to try to help the Maple Leafs get the championship that has eluded them since the NHL expanded from six to 12 teams. -- Molinari
PIRATES
• For the first time in years, teams are shifting less this year than in 2020 (32.7% compared to 34.1%), but it’s still significantly more than what we were seeing not too long ago. For example, teams only shifted 17.4% of the time in 2018. The Pirates have bunted against the shift more than most teams, and are 5-for-9 on those attempts. Those five hits are the second-most in baseball, and the .556 batting average on bunt attempts is the sixth-best. It raises the question why the Pirates, and really all teams, aren’t trying to beat shifts like that more often. The Pirates are conscious when there is a large portion of the field open, and part of the pregame routine is keeping an eye on what teams do defensively. “We pride ourselves on our barrel control,” Rick Eckstein said. “Putting balls in play, minimizing the strikeouts. With barrel control comes the ability to use your hands, use both sides of the field.” The Pirates’ .297 batting average on balls in play is the eighth-best in baseball. -- Alex Stumpf on the North Shore
• The Pirates player facing the shift the most isn’t too surprising. It’s Gregory Polanco, in 80.4% of his plate appearances. When he is facing the shift, his batting average is .206 and slugging percentage .357, compared to .278 and .500 against standard defenses. The player who sees the second-most shifts is a bit surprising: Michael Pérez, at 79.1% of his plate appearances. On defense, the Pirates are one of the more aggressive shifters on defense, ranking sixth by doing so 42.4% of the time, but the BABIP in those scenarios (.293) is a little worse than the league average (.282). -- Stumpf
• MLB insider Robert Murray reported this week that Ke’Bryan Hayes’ camp requested Ronald Acuña money for a long-term extension this spring. Those talks had “no traction” by the end of spring, I was told. Acuña signed an eight-year, $100 million deal with two club options at the start of his second season, and while you can hardly blame a young player for accepting a nine-figure salary, it looks like a tremendous deal for the Braves long-term. It’s worth considering Acuña was considered the universal top prospect in baseball, something that Hayes can not claim, and Acuña had 90 more games worth of MLB experience when he signed. Hayes was brilliant for a month. Acuña was coming off a rookie of the year campaign. There’s no reason to panic because the Pirates and Hayes didn’t get a deal done this spring. It’s still very much on the table for the future. But for it to happen, that deal would have to obliterate the current franchise record for largest contract signed: Jason Kendall’s six-year, $60 million deal back in 2000. No team has a smaller maximum contract. -- Stumpf