Pittsburgh Steelers: Assessing the tight end position entering summer
The Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL are in the thralls of the offseason, so we assess each position group in the Steel City — time for the tight ends
With OTAs and minicamps now out of the way and training camp looming, the Pittsburgh Steelers are looking for another successful campaign. In this series, we’re looking at each position group for Mike Tomlin’s group. So far, we have previewed the quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers. Now it’s time to look at the team’s tight end situation.
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Roughly a year ago at this time, the Pittsburgh Steelers were being very cautious with their biggest free-agent addition of the offseason in tight end Ladarius Green. He wound up being a disappointment due to his inability to stay on the field. When available, he provided quarterback Ben Roethlisberger with a huge downfield option.
But this past season, 2015 fifth-round pick Jesse James and former USC product Xavier Grimble made enough of an impact to make the former Chargers’ tight end very expendable after only one season. In his first season with the Black and Gold, Grimble caught 11 passes for 118 yards and a pair of scores.
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But it was James who proved to be quite the find. He finished fourth on the team with 39 receptions, good for just 338 yards and three scores. He then tacked on 11 more catches in three playoff games. The former Penn State product feels pretty good about the position when it comes to the team. He had this to say about the Steelers tight end group currently via TribLive.com:
"“I feel (Grimble) and I are pretty similar in terms of how Ladarius would be used,” James said. “He does a really good job running the deeper routes and making big plays down the field. Hopefully, we see that a little more this year. He can do it all. He’s gonna be a good player for us. We have a good group of tight ends.”"
That group also includes veteran David Johnson, who’s more blocker than pass-catcher. He did manage to snare seven passes for 80 yards this past season. Rounding out the current group are undrafted free agents Scott Orndoff (Pittsburgh) and Phazahn Odom (Fordham).
Next: NFL 2017: The 50 most untradeable players
Evaluation:
The improving play of both James and Grimble bodes well for the Steelers, who had the luxury of dependable tight ends such as Mark Brunner and then Miller for two decades. There are so many quality wide receivers to choose from and now Roethlisberger has the luxury of a pair of a young and improving tight ends. And don’t be surprised if “Big Ben” utilizes this pair more often than not early in the season as the deep passing attack, with three-time All-Pro Antonio Brown and returning wideout Martavis Bryant, rounds into form.