Current free agent linebacker, and former Pittsburgh Steeler, LaMarr Woodley, recently made comments about being healthy and ready to join an NFL team.

(transcript via NFL Draft Diamonds)

“Yeah, I’m staying in shape, but the thing is, I’ve put myself in a situation where I’ve been hurt these past few years, so I don’t really control my situation right now,” Woodley said. “I can’t make a team call me. So all I can do is prepare myself and keep myself ready, but also I’m going to make sure that my mind is working and that I’m doing other things — things that I can control.”

“I still can go out there, I can get the job done,” said Woodley. “I still can go out there and play at a high level. I just have to be out there on the field to go out there and play at a high level and not just be used for certain situations as far as going out there stopping the run. As an outside linebacker, they predicate our game on sacks and I have to be out there on third-down situations to get sacks. But if I’m not out there on third-down situations, you ain’t gonna see any sacks.

The Steelers have recently had a history of bringing back former players. Joe wrote a lengthy article about why the Steelers might have a look at Woodley, however, I have 3 reasons why the Steelers will pass on the opportunity.

Current Roster Depth

First off, the Steelers already have an abundance of depth at outside linebacker, Woodley’s position. Bud Dupree, Arthur Moats, Jarvis Jones, and James Harrison are all locks to make this year’s roster. The team has also spent 6th round picks in the last two drafts on Anthony Chickillo and Travis Feeney. The younger players have higher ceilings than the aging Woodley.

A great example of losing talent by not reserving roster space for a player is defensive end Josh Mauro. After failing to make Pittsburgh’s 53-man roster, Mauro was signed to the Steelers practice squad, but was poached later in the season by the Arizona Cardinals, where he went on to impress, providing solid depth along with 6 career starts.

Chickillo and Feeney are hard working players that deserve the opportunity to make the roster. Signing Woodley would mean depriving one of these young players of a chance to prove themselves and make the team.

Lack of Role

Another reason to not sign Woodley is a lack of a clear role he could play on defense.

Harrison, Moats, Jones, and Dupree already share a rotation; it’s unlikely Woodley would outplay them for a spot in the rotation.

Also, Woodley wouldn’t be very useful on special teams; vital for backup linebackers on the Steelers roster. Chickillo proved last season he can excel on the special teams unit, forcing a fumble against the Browns. Feeney is an athletic marvel who has the potential to be a special teams demon.

Both players, despite being less experienced, offer much more versatility than Woodley, who would eat up space for any special teams performer on the roster.

I don’t think the Steelers could afford an extra roster spot for a player without a defined role.

Health

Lastly, Woodley has struggled in recent years with staying healthy. Though he was dominant during his prime years with the Steelers, his latter years were plagued by injury.

After signing his large contract in 2011, Woodley would miss a significant amount of time during the remainder of his years in Pittsburgh, as well as stints in Oakland and Arizona. That is the primary reason he is still a free agent, aside from how his health has impacted his production.

Woodley was also infamous for not taking care of his body. An anonymous player reported back in 2013, that Woodley didn’t take care of his body properly, alluding to why he couldn’t remain healthy.

“He was awful… He tells us he works out, but we didn’t see it. He wasn’t in shape. That has to be a reason why he was always hurt.”

Considering how the Steelers prioritize hard work and conditioning, Woodley’s efforts wouldn’t fly with the coaching staff. Following his contract signing, it was apparent in his latter seasons with the Steelers, that Woodley appeared to camp overweight and slow; and it showed on the field as well, and perhaps, was a contributing factor to his injuries.

There are many fond memories of LaMarr Woodley’s time with the Steelers, but, his time in Pittsburgh is over. The Steelers already have depth at OLB, Woodley doesn’t have a role to play (lacking versatility) and can’t stay healthy for a full season.

Steelers fans need to look to the future, not to the past, in order to move forward.