With injuries and subpar quarterback play, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster had an off-year in 2019. There’s no doubt he’ll be playing with a chip on his shoulder this coming season to prove to himself and the organization that he can be an elite player. Not to mention, it’s a contract year. If the Steelers are going to sign Smith-Schuster to an extension, he needs to have a stellar season; otherwise, he’ll be walking in free agency without much leverage to command big money elsewhere.
Like Smith-Schuster, running back James Conner dealt with injuries that limited him in 2019. Conner is also in a contract year and will likely face free agency if he can’t produce numbers similar to 2018. If a top-tier RB falls to the Steelers at No. 49, expect that they will grab him further affecting the chance he remains a Steeler in 2021.
Fourth-year linebacker Bud Dupree performed like he was playing for a contract in 2019 because he was. Instead, the Steelers slapped him with the franchise tag in a prove it or move it deal. My guess is that Dupree will be proving it because his future depends on it — whether it’s with the Steelers or another organization.
The Steelers have not had any luck with drafting the safety position since Troy Polamalu in 2013. They rolled the dice with Terrell Edmunds in 2018 NFL Draft and he has yet to live up to expectations. The team views him as a longterm starter; now he just has to play like one. Edmunds still has two years remaining on his contract but risks his starting slot on the roster if he underperforms.
It’s rare that a player needs to have a great season before even taking a single snap with the team. But that’s the case with tight end Eric Ebron. He was the recipient of a backloaded contract meaning if he doesn’t play well in 2020, he’ll be cut after the season in a cost-saving measure. This is what it looks like: Ebron’s contract pays him $1 million in base salary this year with a $5 million signings bonus which is prorated over the two years of his contract. In 2021, Ebron would earn a $5.5 million salary and get paid a $500,000 if he’s on the roster on the fifth day of the league year.
