The Steelers had limited salary cap space last winter and could only sign one impact free agent. With Heath Miller retiring the Steelers needed a tight end, but they also needed a cornerback and safety, too.
With the top corners well out of their price range it came down to two choices: the Steelers could sign free agent tight end Ladarius Green or free agent safety Eric Weddle.
The Steelers set their sights on Green and put on the full-court press, with coach Mike Tomlin flying to Florida to meet with him on the first day of free agency. A short time later, the Steelers announced Green had signed for $20 million over four years.
Weddle, a 31-year old veteran, signed in Baltimore for $26 million over four years a few days later.
On Sunday, Weddle will line up against the Steelers offense playing some of the best football of his career. He’s been an integral part of one of the top defenses in the NFL this season, and he has a huge part of the success the Ravens had against the Steelers last month when his run support helped shut down Le’Veon Bell.
Green is unlikely to play because of a concussion. If he does miss the game it will be the ninth game he’s missed this season due to injury. He missed the first eight after starting the season on the physically unable to perform list due to ankle and head injuries.
Signing Green instead of Weddle made sense of many fronts. He is five years younger, and he plays a position that was not well-stocked in the draft.
Also, if the Steelers had signed Weddle instead of Green they would not have drafted Sean Davis in the second round. Davis has developed into a starter and oozes with potential. He could be a Pro Bowl player in future years for the Steelers.
So did the Steelers sign the wrong ex-Charger?
There is no easy answer, but one thing looks to be certain: Green won’t be playing against the Ravens for the second time this season while Weddle will be in the middle of a defense that will try to ruin the Steelers’ playoff chances.
Haley on Weddle
Offensive coordinator Todd Haley knows Weddle quite well from his days as Kansas City’s head coach and played Weddle twice a year in the AFC West.
“He is a great player,” Haley said. “But you can see, even with him having been in Baltimore almost a full season, his comfort level, and you are really starting to see some of the areas where he makes a defense unique because he is such a smart player. He understands the defense it looks like even more now. So it allows him to mess with you more. He is rarely in same spot when the ball is snapped, compared to where he ends up. He does a very good job of disguise. He is just a good overall player. The ball finds its way to him. We have to keep that from happening this week.”
Big stakes
The players have taken to calling Sunday’s game “the AFC North championship game.” It is that for the Steelers, just not the Ravens, who would have to win again next week in Cincinnati as well.
Nonetheless, players and coaches know this game is as special as they come during the regular season.
“This time of year, it’s almost the last game of the year and it’s for all the marbles and you want this—you want this as a player, as a coach—this is the most fun part of the year, if you’re a competitor,” defensive coordinator Keith Butler said. “You like competing? It’s going to be a tough game. Our guys will be up for it. They’ll be up for it.
“The fun part of it is to be a little bit nervous about the game. I’ve always liked being tight, because it made me a lot more aware of things and made me more in tune to what we’re doing. The good things about that is when you strive that hard and you’re able to accomplish something like we’re hoping to accomplish, it’s very gratifying.”
Onto this week’s picks:
Last week: 11-3
Season: 134-75
Falcons over Panthers
Redskins over Bears
Chargers over Browns
Packers over Vikings
Saints over Buccaneers
Seahawks over Cardinals
Steelers over Ravens
Cowboys over Lions
Dolphins over Bills
Patriots over Jets
Titans over Jaguars
Raiders over Colts
Rams over 49ers
Texans over Bengals
Chiefs over Broncos
First Published: December 23, 2016, 12:12 p.m.
