Do the Steelers have a weakness at the TE position?
Ladarius Green was never a guarantee to be healthy for the 2017 season. Heck, he was never a guarantee to play in the 2016 season. However, one of the biggest offseason acquisitions in recent Steelers memory (and also one of the biggest busts) sent a cause for further concern upon his release several weeks ago.
That concern is whether the Steelers have a weakness at the tight end position.
I believe they should be alright. And here’s why.
First, Jesse James played the most snaps of any player not named Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell, Ben and Roethlisberger, and the Steelers offensive linemen. That may not seem like a big deal, but the “Killer B’s” are stars who seldom leave the field. Offensive linemen never leave the game either. But tight ends are part of situational packages and are often headed to the sideline throughout the game. Because James was a fifth-round draft pick back in 2015, there was some thought he might not develop into a starting tight end. While “The Outlaw” didn’t put up the type of numbers Green did, he was a reliable target for Ben Roethlisberger in the Steelers passing game and improved his blocking throughout the season.
Yet it’s that lack of solid blocking which keeps another of the tight ends, David Johnson, employed. Johnson plays as an “H-Back” which means he could be deployed as a tight end or a fullback. He played as the latter when starting fullback Roosevelt Nix was hurt to start the 2016 season. Later on, Johnson continued to play in different packages, primarily as a blocker, as Green, and another tight end, Xavier Grimble, were both unavailable.
With James and Johnson, the Steelers should be fine. The team also gets WR Martavis Bryant back from suspension and drafted a vicious blocker in WR JuJu Smith-Schuster. JuJu won’t be playing tight end, but he could line up and chip defensive backs in multi-receiver sets, keeping tight ends off of the field entirely.
After those two, the team has second-year journeyman Xavier Grimble, who fought through a few injuries and was able to secure a spot on the 53-man roster after Green started the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. Grimble scored two touchdowns in 2016, both on routes which appeared to be designed for Green.
He also had some key drops as well, and struggled at times blocking; the Steelers moved backup guard Chris Hubbard to tackle, and after seeing how he was successful filling in for Marcus Gilbert, the team began using Hubbard more frequently as the “reporting eligible” tackle. While Hubbard wasn’t planning on catching any passes, he ended up replacing Grimble while he was hurt, catching on in Alejandro Villaneuva’s similar role from a year earlier.
Two undrafted rookies round out the remainder of the tight end depth chart: Scott Orndoff and Phazahn Odom. Orndoff is best known to local fans for attending the University of Pittsburgh. He had a solid season with Pitt, showing he could make some combat catches. Like Odom, he also shows a willingness to block, seeking out bodies during each play. There’s thought that this year’s tight end draft class was so deep that Orndoff may have been overlooked. Regardless, he will have to battle to make the roster, but could be in contention as the third tight end, should the team roster that many (as they have in the past).
Odom is a physical specimen who was signed after a tryout at the Steelers rookie camp. At 6’8″ 251 lbs. he has the size to be unstoppable but is a raw talent better suited to being developed on the practice squad.
Still, the Steelers appear to have more hands on deck at the tight end position than previous thought. Finding a solid contributor outside of the draft, in either Orndoff or Odom, could continue a trend in Pittsburgh of finding undrafted gems who shore up positions of need (such as Villanueva, Nix, and Ramon Foster).
If they do not, I believe the team will do just fine with a combination of James, Johnson, and Hubbard. I know they’re not anywhere near the caliber of former tight end Heath Miller, or the promise Ladarius Green brought when he signed with the Steelers, but considering the other strengths of the offense (receivers, line, Ben, and Bell) a deficiency at tight end should be the least of Pittsburgh opponents’ concerns.
