Now that we have had a couple of days to let the dust settle on Troy Polamalu’s retirement, the Pittsburgh Steelers must turn their attention to third-year pro Shamarko Thomas.
Whether the Steelers target a safety early on in this month’s draft remains to be seen, but one thing is crystal clear and that is the fact that Thomas will have the first crack at replacing Polamalu.
The only question to ask is whether or not Thomas is ready?
Sadly the answer is we just don’t know.
Usually by your third year in the league it is time to start making a serious impact, but Thomas has had a hard time getting on the field during his first two seasons, outside of special teams, so no one really knows if he I ready for an increased role.
Steelers’ fans think Thomas is ready, but he has yet to show anyone that he is. With the way the Steelers secondary has struggled at times the past couple years, if Thomas was ready, head coach Mike Tomlin would have leaned on him more in sub packages.
Thomas battled a hamstring injury in 2014, but when he was healthy saw only two snaps on defense all season long.
As a rookie in 2013, before suffering a high ankle sprain, Thomas showed that he couldn’t keep up with athletic tight ends and slot receivers, playing in the nickel package.
But that is water under the bridge at this point as Thomas has a gigantic opportunity awaiting him.
If Thomas shows he isn’t ready, the Steelers have to have a Plan B ready to go.
Plan B could involve drafting a guy like Alabama’s Landon Collins and throwing him right into the fire. There have also been discussions about moving Mike Mitchell to strong safety and searching for a free safety.
The re-signing of Will Allen gives the Steelers a little flexibility if they choose to go that route.
The Steelers traded a 2014 third-round pick for a chance to draft Thomas in the fourth round of the 2013 draft. The idea then was that he could one day step in as Polamalu’s eventual replacement.
Thomas has had two seasons to be an apprentice under Polamalu. The future Hall of Famer took the young Thomas under his wing and even invited Thomas to train with him in California last July.
Thomas now has to show everyone that the past two years of having Polamalu as a mentor has paid off.
For Thomas, the time to do that is now.
Photo Credit: USA Today Sports
