After Sunday’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the Pittsburgh Steelers are at a serious crossroads. At 1-4, it is highly unlikely the Steelers will make the playoffs. But you can’t imagine the Steelers packing it in and tanking like other teams seem to be doing. So if we assume Pittsburgh is going to continue to play like there is something on the line for the next 11 games, here are four moves I’d make to shake things up.
Name Devlin Hodges the starter on Monday
Mason Rudolph will miss Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers and considering the nature of his injury, he could miss multiple games. If I’m the Steelers’ coaches, I avoid any semblance of a quarterback controversy by naming Hodges the starter for this week and show a vote of confidence over Paxton Lynch.
Fire Randy Fichtner
Keep in mind, I am not typically one of the “fire coach [insert name here]” mob, but at this point, I don’t see how Fichtner is doing this team any good. He cannot control injuries, but even when this team was healthy, Fichtner seemed incapable of putting together a productive gameplan. The failings in the run game have been especially disappointing.
Bench Mark Barron
Barron suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday and the defense was almost immediately better when he went to the bench. Barron plays with no instincts and at times very little effort. With Vince Williams healthy, he and Devin Bush should man the middle with Barron relegated to special teams. Barron was a risk when he was signed because of inconsistent production and this has shown itself again.
Release Donte Moncrief and sign a veteran wide receiver
The Steelers need a veteran presence at wide receiver, now more than ever. And unfortunately, JuJu Smith-Schuster hasn’t proved he can be the man. His costly fumble against the Ravens can’t be ignored and the rest of the wide receiver group is young and talented but inexperienced. Releasing Moncrief gets the Steelers back in the mix for a third-round compensatory draft pick and there are several veterans out there who could help the young quarterbacks.
