The commentary below contains opinion. The author’s name has been withheld at the writer’s request.
Bud Dupree, Javon Hargrave and B.J. Finney are among the Steelers who could play their final game at Heinz Field Sunday night.
It also could be the final home game for Kevin Colbert.
Colbert might just be the biggest loss if he leaves.
Colbert’s contract runs through the 2020 draft. He could come back for another season, but he hasn’t committed to it. He could retire at 63 and live a more stress-free life. There also has been speculation that Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper — a Pittsburgh native, former Steelers partner and billionaire — will throw a lot of money at him to become the Panthers’ general manager.
Hope that Colbert comes back.
Colbert has been terrific since taking the Steelers’ job in 2000. He has very little ego, which has allowed him to work successfully with the high-profile Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin. Don’t underestimate the significance of Colbert’s willingness to stay in the background. He has won a Super Bowl with both Cowher and Tomlin and has built teams that are competitive for a playoff spot almost every year. The Steelers have won the two Super Bowls under his watch along with three AFC championships, nine division titles and 12 postseason appearances.
Tomlin deserves consideration for NFL Coach of the Year, but Colbert deserves just as much for Executive of the Year. His recent work has been extraordinary. Start with Colbert’s decision to honor Dupree’s $9.2 million option year this season, even though it wasn’t popular at the time. Dupree is playing at an All-Pro level, not just because of his 9½ sacks but because he’s been stout against the run. Move on to Colbert managing to fleece the Oakland Raiders for third- and fifth-round draft choices in the 2019 draft for Antonio Brown, who has become so toxic that he might not play again. That third-round pick enabled the Steelers to trade up to get Devin Bush in the first round. Then, there was Colbert’s foray into free agency. He missed badly with Donte Moncrief but hit it big with Steven Nelson and Mark Barron. Nelson especially has helped the defense become one of the NFL’s best. And don’t forget Colbert’s trade for Minkah Fitzpatrick after the second game this season, when the Steelers were 0-2. Sending the Steelers’ No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft to the Miami Dolphins has turned out to be a brilliant move.
Colbert is on a roll.
It’s comforting to know that Colbert, barring something unforeseen, will be around at least long enough to make one more round of significant decisions.
The biggest involves Dupree, a free agent at season’s end. He has picked the perfect time to have a monster year. Teams will line up to get a premier pass rusher. The guess here is the Steelers will put their franchise tag on him and pay him more than $16 million next season. They have no depth behind him to play opposite T.J. Watt. It’s not as if they can get a quality edge rusher in the draft. They don’t have their No. 1 pick, remember?
Finney also will command attention and big money because of his steady play each time he has had an opportunity to start at center or guard. It won’t be surprising if the Steelers keep him and release Ramon Foster, who will be 34 next season. That would hurt because Foster is a solid team leader. But the offensive line needs to get younger.
Keeping Hargrave will be more of a challenge. He is a fine player and is having a wonderful season. But the Steelers have only so much to invest in their defense, which has started nine No. 1 draft choices at times. It’s hard to see Hargrave coming back.
There also will be decisions about restricted free agents Matt Feiler and Mike Hilton. The Steelers have the right to match any offer they receive from another team. Both should be back next year.
It’s nice to think Colbert will stick around for another year because important decisions have to be made after the draft.
Cam Heyward, JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner and Al Villanueva will be entering the final year of their contract next season. The Steelers’ way is to do a new deal with the players they want to keep before that final season.
It seems certain that Heyward will get one more contract. He isn’t just the team captain and a tremendous leader. He is having a marvelous season.
Conner might be the victim of his long history of injuries. It’s likely the Steelers will allow him to play out the final year of his contract and see where they are after that. Villanueva, 31, also could be a victim because of his age. Pro Football Focus rates him as the team’s second-best lineman this season behind Feiler.
Smith-Schuster is the toughest call. Do the Steelers pay him huge money based on his big performances in 2017 and 2018? Or do they hesitate to give him a big extension because he hasn’t been nearly so good this season without Brown and without Ben Roethlisberger, who was lost for the season in the second game? Does Smith-Schuster even want to do a long-term deal after this season? Will he want to wait and see what happens next season when Roethlisberger is expected to be back and his numbers should be much improved?
All are hard decisions.
Hope that Colbert is around to make them.
Trust his judgment.
First Published: December 14, 2019, 5:00 p.m.
