Let Them Walk: Four Steelers who won’t be back

Earlier this week, I covered the Steelers restricted free agents, and the most sensible course of action regarding them.

It’s almost a guarantee that all of the exclusive rights free agents (ERFA) Pittsburgh still has to decide on will be brought back, if anything for price and depth purposes at certain positions.

An ERFA is a player who has three or less accrued years in the league. His original team must make a contract offer by March 9th, or he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

The list of Pittsburgh’s ERFA’s, all of which I assume will be signed, is as follows: LB Anthony Chickillo, LB L.J. Fort, G Cole Manhart, CB Al-Hajj Shabazz, LB Kevin Anderson, DE Brian Mihalik, and C Valerian Ume-Ezeoke. They can all be signed to cheap contracts, which is the main reason I believe all will be Steelers next season.

Now, let’s jump right into the action, because the unrestricted free agents are where all the big names are, and where all the big decisions need to be made. In this installment, I’ll be predicting what players the Steelers do not elect to bring back for 2017 and beyond.

Shamarko Thomas – Safety

Pittsburgh traded up in the 2013 draft to select Thomas in the fourth round. Coming out, he was seen as an explosive athlete, a raw big-hitter who could be molded into starting caliber. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out that way for the likable Thomas. Injuries, and an inability to consistently grasp the mental aspect of the game slowed down his progress, or lack thereof.

Markus Wheaton – Wide Receiver

Personally, I am on the fence with this one. Wheaton has been hampered by injury 2 of his 4 years in the league, but when healthy, he flashed some real ability. There’s an outside chance the former third-round pick could be brought back, but it is highly, HIGHLY unlikely. Antonio Brown will receive a contract extension, Martavis Bryant is returning, and Eli Rogers emerged as a reliable slot receiver. Coupled with a healthy Sammie Coates and the rising Cobi Hamilton, there just isn’t any room for Wheaton. He will make a difference somewhere else, though.

Bruce Gradkoswki – Quarterback

Much to the chagrin of grumbling yinzers, Landry Jones proved to be a very capable backup quarterback in 2016. I’m not really sure where the narrative that he isn’t came from, but nonetheless it doesn’t make sense to keep the oft-injured Gradkowski in the fold. I have to believe Pittsburgh will at least negotiate with Jones, and plenty of reliable veteran options will be in the free agent pool if the Steelers decide they need one.

Jarvis Jones – Outside Linebacker

We can officially label Jones a “bust”, as he never lived up to his first-round pick status. Pittsburgh declined the fifth-year option on Jones before the 2016 season, which is a pretty clear sign that they didn’t intend to bring him back long-term. He’ll seek a fresh start someplace else.

Update: As of this article, cornerback Justin Gilbert has been released.

Be on the lookout for my last free agency installment in the coming days, where I’ll be talking about the most sensible route to bring back Le’Veon Bell, Lawrence Timmons, and James Harrison among others!