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Steelers fans are upset and for very good reason. Yesterday there was a huge trade deal with the Browns, who sent draft picks and a quality player for the New York Giants in exchange for superstar receiver Odell Beckham Jr. The Browns, who were 2 years ago 0-16, have made huge progress right at the start of this offseason. They were only a game away from making it to the playoffs, including tying the heavily favored Steelers in the first game of last year’s disappointment for the black and gold. Now, the Steelers have been put in a awkward situation. The Steelers have been, for years, sitting at the team to make the playoffs, then lose in the second round. With their collapse and lack of playoffs, they have become stagnant. This is acceptable when you are the Patriots and you make it to the Conference Championship or Super Bowl every year. But for the Steelers, who entered every year in the discussion of winning the Super Bowl but never managed to make it back all decade, it is not.
At the end of last season, they were basically equal to the Browns, a game out of the playoffs as well. This raises the question about the Steelers – have they been getting worse losing star players, so what moves are they doing? Well, the answer is not much. With their star players not wanting to be in town anymore (le’veon bell and Antonio Brown) and signing with other teams or traded to other teams for value a lot worse. You would think that’s a team that needs to make a splash in Free Agency? Well, they have not.
They have only signed a cornerback from the Chiefs, Steven Nelson, which will help the secondary. They really needed to tend to the Linebacker problems, as well as secondary, but as of now they have only resigned Anthony Chickillo. Chickillo was decent last year for the Steelers but most don’t consider him to be the answer the team needs.
This raises another question as well, a question Pittsburgh sports fans couldn’t imagine until recently. Are they turning into another Pittsburgh Pirates team that chooses to lose good players to gain money? I wouldn’t agree with that, because the Pirates didn’t try to resign the players while the Steelers have but were not successful. If this keeps going down hill for the Steelers in a couple years , no playoffs, best players wanting out, I would agree with the comparison.
