Five questions concerning the Steelers entering training camp:
1) Will young secondary yield better results?
The Steelers said goodbye to veteran safety Will Allen and veteran corners Antwon Blake and Brandon Boykin. Allen and Blake were starters last season, and Boykin was the slot corner for the final five games of the season and in the playoffs. Now they’ll be counting on some players with much less experience to fill their shoes.
Robert Golden (three career starts) and rookie second-round pick Sean Davis will compete for the starting strong safety job. Ross Cockrell (seven career starts) will compete for a starting cornerback job with rookie first-round pick Artie Burns. And Senquez Golson, who missed his rookie season with a shoulder injury, is expected to replace Boykin in the slot. It’s quite obvious the Steelers believe youth will serve them well and improve a pass defense that ranked 30th in the league last season. But breaking in so many new players at key positions could prove to be a challenge for defensive coordinator Keith Butler.
2) Can Bud and Jarvis produce?
The Steelers used first-round picks to select Jarvis Jones (2013) and Bud Dupree (2015), and they need some return on their investment. The Steelers had 48 sacks last season, but their two starting outside linebackers only accounted for six of them. Dupree had four, but none in the final eight regular-season games or two playoff games. Jones had two and has five for his career.
It’s make-or-break time for Jones, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract. The Steelers decided not to pick up the fifth-year option on his contract. Maybe he’ll be motivated by hitting it big as a free agent and post the sack totals everyone expected from a No. 17 overall pick. Or maybe he’ll turn out to be a bust. The Steelers could use the production. Manufacturing pressure from schemes is nice and makes for a well-balanced rush, but it’s so much harder for an offense to defend when an outside linebacker can line up and beat a tackle one-on-one.
3) How are they healing?
Running back Le’Veon Bell, who had surgery last November to repair his damaged PCL and MCL in his right knee after a midseason injury against the Bengals, has vowed he’ll be ready for the start of the season. The Steelers, however, have never committed to that timetable and have said they are going to let the injury dictate the terms of his comeback. It is possible Bell will start camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list while the Steelers manage his comeback. Bell took part in some individual drills during the spring at the team’s OTAs and minicamp, but he did not participate in team drills at all.
New starting tight end Ladarius Green had offseason ankle surgery and did not take part in any drills at OTAs and minicamp. Green did not sound confident in June that he’d be ready for the start of camp. He too could start camp on the PUP list until his ankle is 100 percent healed. It’s not important for Bell to participate very much in training camp or preseason games, but Green has to develop chemistry with Ben Roethlisberger and his other teammates in the passing game. And the sooner he gets on the field the better the offense will be in the long run.
4) Is 30 points per game attainable?
Offensive coordinator Todd Haley and Ben Roethlisberger have not been shy about sharing their goal of averaging 30 points per game this season. Since 1990, only 25 teams in the NFL have done it, an average of less than one team per season. The Steelers averaged 28.5 points in games Roethlisberger started last season. It stands to reason the Steelers can improve with a healthy Le’Veon Bell at their disposal. Due to injuries and suspensions, Roethlisberger and Bell played less than 60 minutes together last season.
But it won’t be easy, especially without receiver Martavis Bryant, who won’t play this season due to an NFL drug suspension. Sammie Coates was drafted for this reason, but he played sparingly as a rookie and must prove he can be a reliable No. 3 receiver behind Antonio Brown and Markus Wheaton. One other problem that hurt the offense at times last season was turnovers. Roethlisberger threw 16 interceptions, the most for him in a season since throwing 23 in 2006. The Steelers can rack up all the yards they please, but they won’t reach their goal if Roethlisberger doesn’t cut down on the picks.
5) What’s left in DeAngelo’s tank?
The Steelers could be without Le’Veon Bell for the first four games of the season for violation of the NFL’s policy on substance abuse. If Bell’s appeal is denied, the Steelers will be hoping DeAngelo Williams can duplicate his production from the 2015 season. Williams, who turned 33 this spring, is coming off one of his best seasons of his 10-year career. He rushed for 907 yards and scored 11 touchdowns while Bell missed games 10 games due to injuries and a suspension.
When Bell does return there will be questions about his right knee, which was injured in Week 8 last fall in a game against the Bengals. It was a complicated PCL and MCL injury, different from ACL tears. There was a chance Bell might not have been able to play early in the season anyway. With Bell not being eligible to return until a Week 5 game against the Jets he now has more time to ensure his knee is completely healthy.
First Published: July 24, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
