The Steelers knew they needed to find a starting tight end after Heath Miller retired following the 2015 season. They just didn’t figure that player would be Jesse James.
The first season without Miller was not a disaster though it might have been if not for the emergence of James, a second-year player who was selected in the fifth round of the ‘15 draft after he left Penn State with a year of eligibility remaining.
The Steelers viewed James as a developmental player who could provide depth when they drafted him. That remained true last March when they signed Ladarius Green to a four-year, $20 million contract to be their starting tight end.
But with Green missing all but six games due to ankle and head injuries, James was thrust into action. He started 13 games and played nearly 80 percent of the snaps during the regular season.
James improved as a blocker from his rookie season. That was no more evident in the AFC wild-card game against Miami when he cleared the way for Antonio Brown to score on a screen pass when he blocked two Dolphins defenders.
James also proved to be a capable possession receiver. By season’s end he was one of Ben Roethlisberger’s favorite targets.
James caught 39 passes for 338 yards in 16 regular-season games. In three playoffs games, James caught 11 more passes for 137 yards. He had five catches for 83 yards in the AFC divisional round victory against the Chiefs and five more for 48 yards against the Patriots in the AFC championship game. Among Steelers, only Antonio Brown (18 receptions for 309 yards) had more receiving yards in the postseason.
The Steelers might draft another tight end later this month, but thanks to James, they don’t have to target a starter.
There is however much uncertainty behind James, starting with Green. The Steelers will bring Green back for a second season after he missed the final five games, including all three playoff games due to a concussion. Green also had to start the season on the physically unable to perform list after developing concussion symptoms in training camp even though he was not practicing with the team.
If Green can play in 2017 he is a big-play threat the Steelers desperately need in their offense. In the six games he played he accounted for 18 receptions for 304 yards, nearly as many yards as James compiled over a full 16-game season. But if Green cannot play, or is limited again, the Steelers have to find some quality depth behind James.
Xavier Grimble has potential, but he was nagged by injuries last season. Grimble played in 12 games and finished the season with 11 receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Grimble became the de facto receiving tight end when Green could not play, but his injuries, some drops and lack of versatility as a blocker limited him to playing only 18 percent of the offensive snaps in 2016.
Veteran David Johnson was brought back to provide some thump as a blocker in the running game, and he did well in that role. He played the second-most snaps behind James at tight end, and the Steelers re-signed him to another one-year deal on the first day of free agency.
It will be interesting to see how offensive coordinator Todd Haley uses his tight ends next season. Green figures to get the bulk of the playing time because of his big-play ability and his hefty contract. Before he was concussed at Cincinnati in Week 15 he was starting to earn more playing time. He played a season-high 43 snaps against the Bengals while James played 29, his season-low.
If Green is healthy, James could find himself in a backup role. If not, the Steelers proved they could win with him as a starter. And as a bonus, he won’t turn 23 until June and has the ability to develop more in the coming years.
James was quite the find for general manager Kevin Colbert after a series of horrid fifth-round picks in the years before James was drafted. The previous four fifth-round picks Colbert selected didn’t make it one season with the Steelers, with two of them getting cut in their first training camp. (See Terry Hawthorne, Shaquille Richardson, Chris Rainey and Wesley Johnson).
With James established the middle rounds of next month’s draft seems like a good place for the Steelers to search for another developmental player at the position.
Some names to watch are Jake Butt of Michigan, Jeremy Sprinkle of Arkansas and George Kittle of Iowa. All are projected to be drafted in the third round or later and have potential to add depth to a position where history has proven the Steelers might need it.
Ray Fittipaldo: rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @rayfitt1.
First Published: April 2, 2017, 4:00 a.m.
