It took the Steelers a decade to reach this point with their offensive line. They will mark the occasion by taking one last tour through the NFL before they might break it up.
That group finally reached a state of stability, consistency and overall competence last season to rank eighth best among NFL offensive lines, according to ratings kept by Pro Football Focus. That was nearly a double leap from their No. 15 ranking a year earlier.
But having already paid top dollar to two starters and preparing to do so with a third, the Steelers might decide they cannot pour any more money into a unit that helped make their offense one of the most potent in the NFL last season. Left tackle Kelvin Beachum, left guard Ramon Foster and No. 3 tackle Mike Adams are entering the final year of their contracts, and there is no indication the team has moved to negotiate an extension with any of them.
It prompted a conversation this week between Foster and right guard David DeCastro, whose fifth option year was picked up by the Steelers for 2016.
“Is it the last year? Dave and I were just talking about that,” Foster said. “I don’t know. There are so many dynamics that go into it. Everybody knows I’m in the last year of my contract. Other guys have to be paid, there’s a draft coming up. Beach is in his last year, Mike is in his last year.
“I think there are ways to do it. Who is to say who is going to be where or what may be. We’ll see. I honestly have no answer for it. I guess my play is going to determine what happens with me here or if they just want to go in a different direction.”
The Steelers finally went in that direction last season — forward. Before that, injuries, personnel changes and a dearth of talent plagued them. They took the first step to fix the problem by drafting center Maurkice Pouncey in the first round in 2010, added Marcus Gilbert in the second round of 2011 and drafted DeCastro and Adams 1-2 in 2012.
Foster, a rookie in 2009, became a starter midway through 2010, and Beachum, a seventh-round pick in 2012, has started the past two years at left tackle.
The Steelers have taken care of all their starting top draft picks in the line. Pouncey signed a six-year, $48 million contract last June. Gilbert signed a six-year, $30.8 million contract in August. And the Steelers’ exercised the fifth-year option in DeCastro’s contract in April that will pay him $8 million in 2016.
So where does that leave Beachum, Foster and even Adams?
“I have no idea,” said Beachum, rated the sixth-best tackle in the NFL by PFF last year. “It’s not even on my mind, not on my radar. Right now, it’s about getting my body ready for the season.”
All are under 30 years of age with Foster the graybeard at 29. He has thought about what might happen.
“We reached out,” he said of a phone call made by his agent, Joel Segal. “It’s a wait-and-see type of thing. We would love to at least get the talks seriously going. Right now, everything is still. You know how this organization works, waiting for the right time, I guess.”
The Steelers are expected to at least try to sign Beachum to a long-term deal, but the way he has played, that might cost them more than they are willing to pay, forcing him to seek his fortune elsewhere in 2016. If the Steelers also do not sign Adams — and they seem uninterested in doing so at the moment — there is no other tackle on the roster with any kind of NFL experience.
But they still have 2015!
“We’re trying to build off last year,” DeCastro said. “If it’s the last year together, then it is. We’re going to have fun and not even think about it. Just keep playing and having fun. We have a great group. It would be unfortunate [to see it break up], but we’re going to enjoy it right now.”
Part of their success was playing together most of the season. Another part, they noted, was the addition of line coach Mike Munchak, whom they expect to add more things to their repertoire and push them even more in 2015.
“We have to take it to another level,” Beachum said. “I think he’s pushing the envelope a little bit, but you would expect that. He got to know us the first year and knows what we can do and our limitations. He knows where to push us. He’s starting to push the envelope. He wants the offense to be better, the run game to be better. We love that.”
They ranked third in the NFL in pass blocking, 11th in run blocking, according to PFF.
“We need to press for something better,” Beachum said.
And maybe a few new contracts.
Quick hits
Le’Veon Bell, who is appealing his three-game NFL suspension, said his appeal has not yet been heard, and he does not know when it will be. … Tyler Murphy has begun working at quarterback and Devin Gardner has gone back to wide receiver. The Steelers now list both as “QB/WR” or, as someone else who once carried the tag, “Slash.” … The Steelers signed center/guard Collin Rahrig and placed offensive tackle Micah Hatchie on the waived/injured list. … The Steelers will wear their 1934 throwback uniforms Nov. 1 against Cincinnati.
Ed Bouchette: ebouchette@post-gazette.com or Twitter @EdBouchette.
First Published: June 18, 2015, 4:00 a.m.