The inside linebacker position has essentially bottomed out in Pittsburgh.
All hopes for a Devin Bush comeback to the level of his first 10 or so NFL games, when he was actually pretty good, have been dashed. Myles Jack is just ok. He doesn’t make dynamic plays and has a lengthy injury history. Robert Spillane is Robert Spillane. Tough, heavy tackler, smart. But not much beyond that and not starter-worthy. Mark Robinson? Who knows. A lot of people like his potential, but that’s all it is at this point.
Outside of one Spillane sack, there weren’t any Mike Tomlin “splash” plays from this meager group last season.
It’s time for a change. An upgrade. A pulse instead of a production black hole in the middle of the defense.
The Steelers should sign free agent Bobby Wagner. Here’s three reasons why.
1. Draft class is weak
That may have been where your mind was headed when I said sign Wagner, “can’t you find younger and cheaper in the draft?”
Sure, you can. But are they better? Most mock drafts out there (and Lord knows there’s a ton of them) only have one off-ball linebacker going in the 1st round, mainly Arkansas’ Drew Sanders. He’s even listed as a “hybrid” by some, playing the outside as well. Georgia’s Nolan Smith is another guy who I’ve actually seen be mocked to the Steelers, but he’s known more as an edge rusher, too. The rest of the ILB’s are clumped in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.
Now, do you need to be picked in the 1st round to be successful? Of course not. But with how desperate things are at this position, I want more of a sure thing than a 3rd round rookie stepping in and getting significant snaps. There’s no time or cushion for projects.
2. Cap Space
The Steelers are in a luxurious position right now because they’re starting QB is still on his rookie deal. They aren’t paying that guy $40 million per year (yet). So that huge chunk of cap space percentage isn’t going to the quarterback.
Of course, they have plenty of other big contracts on the books across the roster, but their cap situation is manageable. They saved about $12 million by cutting William Jackson III. He may return, but getting rid of that current contract he was under was important. There’s always that possibility that the two biggest contracts, TJ Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick, can and will restructure their deals for some cap relief.
The biggest in-house free agents seem to be Cam Sutton and Larry Ogunjobi, along with Terrell Edmunds. I think they will prioritize and re-sign Sutton, as they should. They’re already thin at that position and he’s their best guy as it stands right now. He’s worthy of another deal.
Edmunds is probably in the same situation. He had another solid season and is a representative starter. If it came down to it and money was tight, I would choose Wagner over Ogunjobi. I like what I saw from Ogunjobi at times this year, but his effectiveness only came in flashes and I still wonder how beat up his body is after sustaining multiple injuries in his career.
I hate to part with any kind of talent along the defensive line, but I’d rather try to replenish that position via the draft (Calijah Kancey anyone?) and hope Isiahh Loudermilk continues to develop rather than leave this inside linebacker spot depleted.
3. He’s Still Got It
Bobby Wagner was an All-Pro last season. All-Pro of course, significantly different from Pro Bowler. You know, the Pro Bowl that Tyler Huntley found himself in somehow this year.
Wagner piled up 6 sacks. 10 tackles for loss and QB hits. Two interceptions. 140 tackles. And maybe most importantly, he played in all 17 games. He’s never missed more than one game in each of the past eight seasons. That’s durability. That’s rare to find.
Yes, Wagner is about to turn 33. But he hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down and all this guy has done over his career is show up and be consistently excellent.
I think the Steelers have hit desperate levels with inside linebacker. Even if it’s a one year deal that allows more time to find a long term solution in hopefully a deeper draft class, I think they should do it. Wagner is as plug and play as they come. Plug and play and in this case, plug and a major upgrade and life at that position.
It could take close to $10 million to do it, but the Steelers should do it.