When the Pittsburgh Steelers offense takes the field next season, it will boast arguably the most dangerous group of skill players in the NFL. Franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will have a embarrassment of riches at his disposal starting with the rushing duo of Le’Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams along with an array of outstanding receivers led by Antonio Brown, Heath Miller and Martavis Bryant.
Things are not quite as clear for an offensive line that will be expected to be the vital cog for an offensive attack that has a chance to be the best in the league next season.
Although the Steelers head into the off-season knowing that their three top linemen – David DeCastro, Marcus Gilbert and Maukice Pouncey – return along with 2015 starters Cody Wallace and Alejandro Villanueva also in the fold, the status is not as clear for tackle Kelvin Beachum and guard Ramon Foster.
Both Beachum and Foster enter the free-agent market and should be expected to have plenty of interest from teams looking to bolster their offensive lines.
Despite of coming off an ACL tear that cost Beachum much of last season, the demand for quality starting left tackles is high and the cost comes at a premium. Couple that with Villanueva’s solid effort, replacing Beachum and the Steelers have a difficult decision ahead on whether to re-sign a player who will likely command top dollar on the open market.
For Foster, the combination of age and cost might contribute to the decision to let the Steelers starting right guard walk. With nearly 100 starts over his seven seasons, the 30-year-old Foster may be looking for one final contract and it might come at a price that the Steelers can’t afford.
What the Steelers might also not be able to afford is letting both Beachum and Foster walk.
The Steelers proved up to the challenge of losing both Pouncey and Beachum last season, but if Villanueva and Wallace are asked to become full-time starters if Beachum and Foster move on, the depth of the offensive line becomes precariously thin.
It’s clear that Beachum has no interest in moving from left tackle to guard and obviously that makes sense from an economic standpoint but may make it impossible to bring him back. Compounding the problem is with DeCastro almost certain to soon get a contract extension making him one of the highest paid guards in the league and with both Pouncey and Gilbert signed to long-term deals, the Steelers may simply not have the cap space to fit another pricey contract on the offensive line.
Assuming Beachum heads elsewhere, the Steelers ultimately will need to make a competitive offer to Foster and hope that he is willing to stay with a team that should be one of the favorites to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
If not, the Steelers will have the tough task of finding both depth and experience in a thin free agent market along with the draft where the team already to has to look to fill other roster needs.
It might be tough for the Steelers to retain Beachum and Foster, but with a team returning with realistic Super Bowl aspirations, can the Steelers afford to let both go?
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