Home 2015 Off-Season Steelers Re-sign Spaeth; Adding Another Tight End Still Necessary

Steelers Re-sign Spaeth; Adding Another Tight End Still Necessary

by Steeldad

The Pittsburgh Steelers re-signed tight end Matt Spaeth yesterday to a two-year deal. You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t stand and applaud.

Don’t get me wrong, Spaeth serves a singular purpose for Todd Haley’s offense and that’s as a blocker and he’s a damn good one but…. But what happens if Heath Miller (gulp!) should go down with an injury?

Are you confident that Matt Spaeth would be as productive in the receiving department as Miller? I’m sure as heck not and that’s why I believe the Steelers will look to add a pass catching tight end either through free agency or the draft.

Still in the fold of course is last year’s seventh round pick Rob Blanchflower but he is an absolute unknown based on the fact he spent all season the practice squad in 2014.

With this year’s crop of tight ends in the NFL Draft being weak, I think the Steelers will look to free agency for a guy who might be able to step in as a pass catcher but the draft offers a few guys in that mold as well.

Guys like Clive Walford from Miami, Nick O’Leary of Florida State and Wes Saxton from South Alabama will more than likely be available in the mid to late rounds. All three are receiving threats first which doesn’t usually fit the Steelers M.O. but they can’t go without a threat there period.

What would be great is if Blanchflower turns the corner and becomes a real player for this team in training camp. That’s a bit of a stretch but we can hope right?

The bottom line in my mind is that the Steelers must feel good about their tight ends and I agree as long as Heath Miller stays healthy.

 

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7 comments

bob graff March 10, 2015 - 6:34 pm

What happens when a player spends a year on the practice squad? I feel that it hampers the player, taking a year or two off of game competition can do nothing but allow a player to lose the feel of actual game speed. The Steelers have always been loyal to there starters to a fault, meaning no game experience for the back ups meaning the next man up has lost a feel for game speed which is a huge thing. so when you talk about Spaeth, Blanchflower or any other of the 6-7 TE’s the Steelers carry around your talking about players for the most part who haven’t been playing much at all.This same problem exist at just about every position on the team. Until the Steelers start using some sort of rotation this problem will always be there. And drafting a quality player isn’t going to help if he never sees the field to get evaluated. In short we don’t even know what we have because we bury players on the practice squad and the longer they stay there the more they will lose the feel for game speed. Nothing can replace game reps not even the practice team.

Vittorio March 10, 2015 - 9:01 pm

Enough with the TE talk I’m sick of it. Did it ever occur to you people that maybe the coaches did not see enough of what they wanted from that player that he ended up on the practice squad. I come on this site and you guys defended Wheaton before the season saying give him a chance but when I do it for Jarvis Jones and Blanchflower I get made out to be the bad guy why is that? You people have a double standard when it comes to who I can defend and who I bash and don’t even deny it cause all of you would be lying. So tell me why I can’t bash you people when you defend a player but you earn the right to bash me for defending Jones and Blanchflower.

bob graff March 10, 2015 - 11:42 pm

There’s one thing that i know is true. There are players in just about every sport that when it comes time to preform something happens and they just can take it to another level. Then you have the guy who practices great but can’t do it in the game. Absolutely nothing can compare to game time experience. Vittorio i think you have a bunch of good points that you make and some points that some don’t agree with. But i certainly get the feel of a witch hunt.” just my opinion”

bob graff March 10, 2015 - 11:43 pm

i meant to say don’t get the feel of a witch hunt , my bad

Vittorio March 10, 2015 - 11:49 pm

Then it explain it to me. I get grief for bashing Wheaton and defending both Jones and Blanchflower so how exactly is that fair to me. The second I defend Jarvis Jones every single person on this site immediately gives me grief for it but somehow i’m not allowed to do the same wen it came to Wheaton. So tell me how it can that can be justified?

steeldad March 11, 2015 - 12:34 am

I don’t know who “everyone” is Vittorio but I really haven’t weighed in on Wheaton or Jarvis Jones a whole lot. I think it’s too early to make any calls on either guy and as far as Blanchflower we need to see more, a lot more.

Vittorio March 11, 2015 - 2:22 am

There were people on this very site over a year ago who gave me grief on Markus Wheaton last year so I decided to give the entire 2014 season to see what he can do, but now when I defend Jarvis Jones or Rob Blanchflower or both I’m made out to be the bad guy.

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