The Pittsburgh Steelers will enter one of their most notable offseasons in years.
For the first time in nearly two decades, the Steelers will enter an era of uncertainty. That would be because franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is finally retiring after 18 seasons with the franchise. The Steelers were spoiled by the Big Ben era as Pittsburgh won two Super Bowls and never suffered a losing season during the Roethlisberger era.
That means the Steelers will not only have to find a new franchise quarterback, but they will have to find a new identity.
Thankfully for the Steelers, they have one thing working in their favor — their salary cap situation isn’t bad at all. Entering the 2022 offseason, Pittsburgh will have more than $32 million in available cap space.
That means the Steelers won’t be forced to make any drastic penny-pinching moves that they don’t want to make.
However, if Pittsburgh does decide they want a franchise quarterback via trade, they might have to clear up some cap space in order to make that happen. For example, veteran quarterbacks such as the Las Vegas Raiders’ Derek Carr ($19.9 million) and the Minnesota Vikings’ Kirk Cousins ($35 million) aren’t exactly cheap.
As Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox points out, the Steelers could cut a former Pro Bowl linebacker in order to clear up some room.
Knox mentions linebacker Joe Schobert, a former Pro Bowl linebacker in 2017, is one of the Steelers’ leading candidates to be cut this offseason.
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Steelers Would Save Money With Schobert Release
“Joe Schobert was a solid run-stopping linebacker for the Steelers in 2021,” says Knox. “He tallied 112 tackles and 70 solo stops, and he does have value as a second-level defender. However, Schobert is not an impact-play specialist and can be a liability in coverage.
Schobert had no sacks this past season and only two tackles for loss. According to Pro Football Reference, he allowed an opposing quarterback rating of 90.0 in coverage. With the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020, he allowed an opposing passer rating of 110.0.
While Schobert is solid, the Steelers should be looking for more of a playmaker at the linebacker position. They should also look to save valuable cap space by cutting or at least reworking Schobert’s contract.
The 28-year-old is set to carry a cap hit of $9.7 million in 2022. The Steelers can save nearly $8 million by parting with Schobert, and the savings will grow in the future. He is set to carry cap hits of more than $11 million in both 2023 and 2024.
Again, Schobert is a solid player, and if Pittsburgh can bring him back at a reduced salary, it would make sense. His current price point, however, does not.”
Schobert’s Value Doesn’t Match Salary
Schobert can clearly produce as he ranked second on the team with 112 tackles and missed just one game last season. However, Schobert currently stands as the team’s fifth-highest paid player behind T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, Stephon Tuitt and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
And with all due respect to Schobert, he’s the least valuable of those five defenders. Perhaps most importantly, he’s the easiest to cut because his dead cap is just $1.7 million for the season.
According to Pro Football Focus, Schobert’s defensive grade of 53.6 ranked just 47th among 87 qualifying linebackers in the NFL. Considering his high salary cap hit and his lack of playmaking ability, the Steelers might be wise to cut ties with the 28-year-old linebacker this offseason.
Steelers ‘Must Consider Cutting’ Ex-Pro Bowl Linebacker