Good Wednesday to you Steelers fans.
There used to be this “unwritten rule” that you can’t give a quarterback a massive new contract if he hasn’t won a playoff game. That notion is 100% untrue now. The Los Angeles Chargers made Justin Herbert the highest-paid quarterback in pro football yesterday. As you know, he has won ZERO postseason games. This is yet another sign that having (and keeping) a top level QB is the most important thing in pro sports. Herbert is super-talented and has largely performed well. One could argue he’s been the victim of poor coaching and a lot of injuries to crucial skill players during his short career but at the same time, great QBs are ultimately judged by how they do in the postseason which takes me to the “good news” about this story. Now that Herbert has been paid, next in line would seem to be one Mr. Joe Burrow. This is good news because it means the rival Cincinnati Bengals are about to be strapped with a massive salary. You may have heard a giant “bang” when Herbert’s deal was announced. That was Bengals’ owner Mike Brown’s jaw hitting his desk. The notoriously frugal owner knows he has to pony up but he won’t be happy about it. As for us? This coming season will go a long way towards determining whether the Steelers will be paying a big sum to Kenny Pickett.
Tweet of the Day… Ian has been coming strong with his tweets lately.
Important reminder https://t.co/wUV4sMyGlV
— The Steelers n'at (@thesteelersnat) July 25, 2023
Najee Facing a Big Year?
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell suggests that Steelers’ RB Najee Harris is in need of a big season because he isn’t performing to the level a first round pick should. He argues that Jaylen Warren, behind the same offensive line actually performed better according to certain metrics. I think this is fair but I also believe that Barnwell leaves out a very important aspect here and that’s the fact that Harris wasn’t close to 100% for the first half of the season. I don’t deny that Najee has to elevate his game – meaning more consistency – because Mike Tomlin is all in on running the football this season. But we need to have a little bit of patience too.
Speaking of Running Backs…
Ian has a great write-up about what’s going on with the current running back market. How we got here and more importantly, how it is going to impact Najee Harris over the next couple of years.
Further Additions?
The Steelers almost always make a move or two during the Training Camp/Preseason portion of the season and I have to believe this year will be no different. If I had to guess what position will be the most likely target (barring any significant injuries elsewhere), I would say inside linebacker. I just don’t know that they’re entirely comfortable with Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts and Mark Robinson as their rotation. Of the three, Holcomb is the most likely “three-down” linebacker but if someone became available I have to think they’d look deeply into it. That said, I still think they could use one more depth piece here as Robinson is largely a run stopper and very limited in coverage. So I can’t definitively say they will get someone but I’d bet money on it.
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