Now that the 2021 season is over, bringing one more 12 months of disappointment, a fifth consecutive season with no postseason victories, it’s time to take inventory of the place the Pittsburgh Steelers stand. Particularly, the place Steelers gamers stand individually primarily based on what we’ve seen and are seeing over the course of the season and into the offseason because it performs out. We may also be reviewing gamers primarily based on their earlier season and their prospects for the long run. A inventory analysis can take a few completely different approaches and I’ll attempt to clarify my reasoning. In some instances, it will likely be primarily based on extra long-term developments. In different situations, it will likely be a direct response to one thing that simply occurred. Due to this, we will and can see a participant greater than as soon as over the course of the season as we transfer ahead.
Participant: ILB Marcus Allen
Inventory Worth: Up
Reasoning: The previous fifth-round security was tendered as a restricted free agent with an original-round tender, lining him as much as earn $2,540,000 this season. Any group that wishes to signal him to a suggestion sheet must quit a fifth-round draft decide so as to add him to their roster.
In case you’re questioning why I’m not speaking about Mitchell Trubisky or James Daniels or Levi Wallace or Mason Cole proper now, the rationale for that’s easy: I’m ready till the offers are official. The brand new league 12 months begins at present at 4 PM, at which period a litany of contracts and trades shall be submitted to the league, and groups’ social media pages is not going to need to say that there are stories that they’ve agreed to phrases with so-and-so pending free agent. They will announce pen-to-paper offers being executed.
Till that occurs, these offers cannot occur, as former Dallas Cowboys edge defender Randy Gregory reminded us. Whereas it was reported that the had agreed to remain in Dallas on a three-year, $30 million contract, he in the end had a change of coronary heart due to wording within the contract the Cowboys wouldn’t budge on. So then he signed with the Denver Broncos. Whoops. Occurs a couple of times a 12 months, not less than. Keep in mind Tyson Alualu?
I simply wished to get that out of the best way in case there have been any questions on why I’m speaking about any individual like Marcus Allen proper now. I opted for Allen at present as a result of he was essentially the most unsure of the Steelers’ restricted free brokers, as as to whether or not he would really be tendered. They didn’t tender Terence Garvin a number of years in the past when he was a restricted free agent, for instance, and he grew to become an unrestricted free agent in consequence, capable of signal with any group.
Pittsburgh sees sufficient worth in Allen, nonetheless, to comply with pay him $2.54 million in 2022, although it ought to be added that restricted free agent tenders (and any tenders, together with franchise tags) are not assured earlier than they’re signed. And within the case of restricted free agent tenders, they’re not assured in any respect till the beginning of the season. In the event that they reduce Allen, he will get nothing, and there’s no useless cap. They did this to operating again Johnathan Dwyer again in 2012, solely to re-sign him when LaRod Stephens-Howling was injured. So there’s your pointless historical past lesson for the day.
Oh yeah, so far as Allen goes, he’s a special-teams-first participant, logging over 300 snaps final season, however they’re additionally prepared to play him on protection. He did begin one sport in 2021 as a result of damage (and two the 12 months earlier than), and he has grown visibly extra snug at linebacker.
