The Divisional Round has come to end, and after each game was decided on the final play, the season has come to a bitter end for another four teams. That brings the total number of squads locked into their first round draft position to 28. Interestingly, the Rams and 49ers are still standing after they each parted ways with top draft picks this past offseason. San Francisco’s first choice is currently slated to be 61st overall, while the Rams aren’t projected to be on the board until the 101st pick. For Los Angeles in particular, the decision is certainly paying off so far.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2021 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. For playoff teams, the order is determined by their postseason outcome and regular season record.
Here is the updated order after this weekend’s results:
The Steelers have told QB Dwayne Haskins that they will be placing a restricted free agent tender on him, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (via Twitter). This jibes with a report from last week indicating that both Haskins and Mason Rudolphwould be retained and given the chance to compete for the starting QB job in Year 1 of the post-Ben Roethlisberger era.
Haskins, of course, was a first-round pick of Washington in 2019, a selection that was not endorsed by then-HC Jay Gruden but that was reportedly pushed by owner Dan Snyder and then-team president Bruce Allen. In 13 total games with WFT, Haskins failed to impress, and his on-field struggles were exacerbated by poor off-field decision-making. A particularly rough outing in Week 16 of the 2020 season triggered his release, and he hooked on with Pittsburgh in January 2021.
Though Haskins did not see any regular season action in the 2021 campaign, he made a favorable impression on Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. Pittsburgh is not expected to acquire an elite veteran QB this offseason, and while a trade for a player like Jimmy Garoppolo or signing an FA like Teddy Bridgewater probably can’t be ruled out, Haskins and his cannon of a right arm would seem to have a good chance to take over as QB1 if the only competition is Rudolph and a rookie passer.
Plus, as a rare first-round pick who becomes a restricted free agent, Haskins can be retained fairly cheaply. The Steelers can put the original-round tender on him for about $2.5MM — roughly half of the first-round tender — but because Haskins’ original round is, in fact, the first round, any other team that wants to sign him would have to give up a first-round choice to Pittsburgh to do so.
That obviously is not going to happen, so Haskins will remain with the Steelers with a real chance to start living up to his vast potential.
Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler is retiring, and Pittsburgh will replace him internally. Per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, the club will promote senior defensive assistant/secondary coach Teryl Austin to DC (Twitter link).
After spending three years as the Ravens’ secondary coach, Austin left Baltimore for Detroit, where he became defensive coordinator for Jim Caldwell‘s first Lions staff in 2014. That team was the Lions’ best since 1991, finishing the season 11-5 and earning a wildcard berth. Austin’s defense finished second in the league in terms of both yards per game and points per game, and he garnered plenty of head coaching interest as a result.
He did not land an HC job in the 2015 cycle, and his defenses would regress over the rest of his Motor City tenure (though he would get at least one head coaching interview after each of his four seasons in Detroit). When Caldwell was dismissed following the 2017 campaign, Austin interviewed for the Lions’ head coaching gig, which ultimately went to Matt Patricia. He landed on his feet as the Bengals’ DC, but his time in Cincinnati was nothing short of a disaster.
Though the club’s talent (or lack thereof) certainly had plenty to do with the defense’s struggles, Austin did not even make it through the end of the 2018 season with the Bengals. His unit was the first in NFL history to give up 500 or more yards in three consecutive games, and he was fired in November 2018.
He joined the Steelers in his current capacity in January 2019, and he will now inherit a defense that had a disappointing 2021 in terms of yards allowed (361.1 per game, good for 24th in the league) but that led the NFL in sacks. Pittsburgh boasts a fair amount of high-end defensive talent, and Austin will be tasked with getting his group back to the form it displayed over the 2017-20 seasons. His secondary, at least, did a good job of limiting opposing passing games, as it was the Steelers’ run defense that let the team down more often than not.
Butler has been in place as Pittsburgh’s DC since Dick LeBeau‘s 2015 exit. The Steelers delivered up-and-down work during Butler’s tenure, but they had trended upward during the second half of his stay. Butler, 65, has been with the Steelers since 2003, working as the team’s linebackers coach for over a decade prior to his promotion. The Steelers had given Butler a one-year extension in 2021.
A former Seahawks starting linebacker in the 1970s and ’80s, Butler has been an NFL assistant since 1999, when he broke into the league as linebackers coach for the expansion Browns team. In Butler’s 19 seasons in Pittsburgh, he oversaw the work of numerous standout linebackers — from James Harrison to LaMarr Woodley to Ryan Shazier to T.J. Watt— and was part of three Super Bowl staffs as a position coach.
While the Steelers’ defense came up short in some home playoff spots during Butler’s tenure, the unit also did plenty to help the team into postseason fields in recent years. The Steelers remain on a stellar streak in the sack department, having led the NFL in this category five seasons running. This year, Pittsburgh’s 55 sacks — an NFL-record-tying 22.5 from Watt — were four more than any other team’s total. That helped an offensively limited team back to the playoffs. This season’s Steelers defense was less impressive as a whole, ranking just 24th in yards allowed. But Butler’s troops had ranked in the top six in this category from 2017-20.
With the Steelers expected to make their first quarterback transition during Mike Tomlin‘s tenure, the 15-year veteran HC will be tasked with making a key hire that will spearhead a veteran defense. Tomlin made a change on the offensive side last year, replacing Randy Fichtner with Matt Canada.
One of the biggest talking points in Pittsburgh right now, of course, is the uncertainty the team is facing at the quarterback position. With it all-but guaranteed that BenRoethlisbergerhas played his final snap in the NFL, the central focus of HC Mike Tomlin‘s end-of-season press conference was the team’s plans to replace him.
As Tomlin said, “all options are on the table” with respect to finding a new signal-caller. He expressed a level of “excitement” about the process, which could include any combination of free agency, trades and the draft. Let’s look at some of their options in each capacity:
First off, the team’s in-house options need to be considered. Mason Rudolph is the only QB with a contract for 2022, but Dwayne Haskins could easily be brought back as well. The former has been with the team since being drafted in the third round in 2019, making 10 total starts. His overall play has been inconsistent and underwhelming, though, which prompted the team to bring in Haskins last year. The 2019 first-rounder crashed out of Washington and has only made 13 starts in his three-year career. Tomlin left the door open for each to “establish themselves” going forward.
As for free agency, the team is positioned to have an unusually high degree of flexibility. With over $30MM in projected cap space and not many impact UFAs to sign, the Steelers could add a veteran without much issue. The two best options on that front, however, are likely Jameis Winstonand Teddy Bridgewater. Winston’s second season in New Orleans – and first as the starter – came to an abrupt end with a torn ACL after just seven games. He would probably offer more upside, if healthy, in 2022 than Bridgewater, whose first year in Denver saw him essentially match his career numbers and confirm himself as a low-end starter. Pittsburgh, or any other QB-needy team could still do worse in free agency than the consistent 29-year-old, though.
As for the trade market, bigger names – but much more uncertainty – are involved. Veterans Aaron Rodgersand Russell Wilson are names frequently thrown around in trade speculation, and the Steelers may be able to afford taking on their contracts if they so desired. However, the former has recently made comments that are a far cry from his trade request made last year. As for Wilson, meanwhile, the team has just decided to keep most of its front office and coaching staff in place, and has no plans to trade the seven-time Pro Bowler. The biggest x-factor in the QB market, of course, is Deshaun Watson. The Texans are indeed looking to move the 26-year-old, but there has yet to be a resolution with respect to his ongoing sexual misconduct allegations.
Some other veterans are being mentioned as trade candidates as well. Established starters who are set to enter the final year of their contracts include Kirk Cousins, Derek Carrand Jimmy Garoppolo. The cap hits of those respective deals cover quite a range, which will play a role in how easy they are to move. In the case of Cousins and Carr, new head coaches and general managers will ultimately decide whether to re-commit to them, or look elsewhere for replacements and make them expendable. For Garoppolo, it has been widely known for quite a while that the franchise is ready to move on to 2021 first-rounder Trey Lance.
The final avenue is the 2022 NFL Draft. This year’s QB class is generally seen as underwhelming, and there is no clear-cut, can’t-miss type of prospect as there has been in recent years. One of the top options is Kenny Pickettfrom the University of Pittsburgh, who many regard as the most complete – perhaps safest – option. Other names include Ole Miss’ Matt Corral and UNC’s Sam Howell, both of whom took their programs to new heights with hugely productive careers. Smaller-school options include Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder, who led his team to an unprecedented CFP semifinal appearance, and Liberty’s Malik Willis, who, while very raw, may have the best overall physical traits in the class.
Tomlin made a point in stressing the need for mobility in the new QB, which may lend itself to a draftee being given the reins. In his first mock draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper has the Steelers selecting Corral 20th overall. Meanwhile, the Athletic’s Dane Brugler has Pittsburgh taking Howell with that same pick in his latest mock.
One factor to keep in mind is the recent news that offensive coordinator Matt Canada is expected to be back in 2022. The new quarterback – whomever it ends up being – will be tasked with trying to fully implement his scheme, something that the team struggled to do in Roethlisberger’s final year.
Let us know who you think will be the Steelers’ Week 1 starter in 2022 below.
While the search for a new quarterback, and, eventually general manager, are the dominant storylines in Pittsburgh for this offseason, news has come out with significant implications for the team’s offense. In his end-of-season press conference, head coach Mike Tomlin stated that offensive coordinator Matt Canada will likely return in 2022.
When asked about the offense’s struggles this season, Tomlin expressed confidence in Canada, saying “I’m optimistic about Matt and what he’s capable of doing” (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Aditi Kinkhabwala). While he added, “I acknowledge we took a step back [on offense]. There’s some obvious tangible reasons why that occurred”, along with an intention to get better on that side of the ball, he is comfortable with giving Canada a second season at the helm.
Mark Kaboly of the Athletic notes that Canada took over as OC this year knowing the team’s emphasis had been placed on an improved running game. With major changes to the playbook, a vastly different offensive line and the drafting of Najee Harris, the team saw a minor uptick in production on the ground. Still, the Steelers ranked 29th in the league with an average of only 93 rushing yards per game.
As for the other elements of the offense, a notable regression took place across the board. The team’s averages in at least 10 major categories saw declines of varying degrees compared to the 2020 campaign. Perhaps the most significant one was the drop in points per game from 26 down to 20.2 – something which contributed to a total of 16 fewer offensive touchdowns being scored than last year, despite there being a 17th game this season.
The unit’s performance in the playoff loss to the Chiefs, which is widely expected to end up being QB Ben Roethlisberger‘s final NFL game, proved the need for drastic improvement going forward. That fact wasn’t lost on Tomlin, who also said, “I am not acknowledging satisfaction with any component of what we did”. He still used the word “attractive”, though, to describe the 50-year-old’s scheme, which he demonstrated in a successful college coaching career and helped him earn the OC role after one season serving as the Steelers’ QB coach.
Regardless of who the starting quarterback is for the Steelers in 2022, then, they will at least have an offensive coordinator with a year of experience and a vote of confidence working with them.
